This World Is Not Enough
by IntensityxIntended
Summary: Fionna, Marshall, and Gumball have finally come to a peaceful place in their complicated relationship, but all of that changed when Marshall and Gumball were trapped into contracts with Hannah Abadeer. They both signed away their future and their freedom in order to save Fionna, and with only two months to make things right, Fionna will do whatever it takes to save them. *Lemon 3/6
1. Chapter 1: Cope

*****ABOUT THE FIRST PART, THE OTHER OPTION: The admins have removed the first part of this series from the site, which is why you can only find 5 out of 6 stories. I'm really sorry about that, guys. If you want a general overview of the first story, go ahead and message me and I'll send it to you. I'm going to try to post it somewhere else and post a link to it so ya'll can find it. Thank you so much for reading my work!*****

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks sooo much for sticking with me this far! This is part 3/6. I think. In my head, this is as far as it goes, but we'll see!**

**If you haven't read The Other Option or What Was Hidden, you may not understand what's going on here. But, you're free to read what you want, so go for it!**

**I just want to warn everyone that this is a **LEMON** and is only for mature audiences. Its got some smut in it, so if you're not into smut, this probably isn't the story for you. There's also some yaoi, and threesome action.**

**I do not own any part of Adventure Time, its story or its characters.**

**Alright, have at it! I write for you guys, so I hope you enjoy it. And, as always, positive feedback and constructive criticism are certainly welcome and enjoyed. Thanks everyone!**

It's been a week since I was rescued by Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball from my glass cage and my captors, Ice Queen and Hannah Abadeer. Just a week. At any other time, in any other situation, such a small space of time wouldn't be so detrimental, but for me, in this time and in this place, I counted each second with calculated precision.

We had 53 days left before we would be separated for eternity.

Whenever I wasn't distracted, my brain would think over the events that led to this catastrophe. I fell in love with two men, one being the Vampire King, the other being the prince of the Candy Kingdom. Out of weakness, I recklessly followed a lead to what I thought was my parents. I fell into a trap created to not only torture me and Cake, but to lure Marshall and Gumball to us. On their way to me, they managed to find a connection they had lost a long time ago. And then, despite my begging and pleading, they signed away their futures to save me.

Gumball signed a contract, forcing him into a marriage with the Ice Queen and making her ruler of the Candy Kingdom.

Marshall signed a contract as well, trapping him into taking over the Nightosphere for Hannah. But, in an effort to gain just a little bit of time, he created another contract, totally giving up all of his freedom so that the three of us could stay together for 2 months before the contracts went into effect. And, so I could have the protection of Hannah Abadeer.

Every way I think of it, no matter how I mold or manipulate it in my mind, all of this was my fault. I wasn't being careful, I wasn't looking where I stepped, and because of me, because I tripped into the hole, they all fell down with me.

I tried my best to keep my dark thoughts from them. Without a word we all sort of agreed that we would enjoy our time together, not thinking about what was to come.

Every day we all three spent our time at each other's houses, pretending that everything was great. I suppose that, if things had turned out better, this would be what our lives would be like forever.

I asked Marshall about the contracts and their solidity a few days ago, wondering if there were any loopholes at all that we could get through.

"The only way to break the contract is if either the contract holder or Hannah requests the breakage. If the holder breaks it, there are consequences. If Hannah breaks it, well, she's the queen of the Nightosphere. Nothing really goes against her." He tried hard to keep his face calm while he played his bass guitar in the air, as if this was just another subject we talked about when we weren't flirting or play-fighting.

"What kind of consequences?" I asked, carefully poking around the subject. Things seemed to be especially hard for Marshall. Hannah was his mother, a woman he's always struggled to have a familial connection with.

He sighed and set his bass down on its stand, then flipped over in the air and let his head hang upside down as he talked to me. "For example, my contract with her over the Ice Queen. If I had broken that contract without coming to my terms, she would have killed the Ice Queen right then and there. If you don't fulfill your part of the bargain, you lose what you bargained for."

Despite everything the Ice Queen had done to me, I still felt horrified at the thought of Hannah obliterating her just because Marshall broke a contract. "That's… that's _horrible_!"

"I know. But she's evil, and that's just how things are with her. So when my new… contract… starts, well…" He flipped himself up and kept his back to me, not wanting me to see his face.

"I see… if you broke your contract…" I let my thoughts go. To be honest, I would let her obliterate me if it meant Marshall's freedom, but I knew that he would never, ever do that. "And Gumball's contract? What about that?"

"Since the Ice Queen made it with her, it would be up to her to break the contract. But, if she did, PG would be the one to—"

"Oh." I cut him off. I didn't want to think about that. We all knew that no matter what we did, Hannah would always be strong enough to kill us in an instant. She had the shadows on her side, and we had, well, nothing nearly as cool as the shadows. "Hey Marshall…"

"Yeah Fi?" He turned to me, hopeful of changing the subject.

"What happens… exactly… when you take over? Do her contracts come from her? Or the Nightosphere? Do you inherit the contracts? And the shadows?"

He looked down, then slid his fingers through his hair before he looked at me again. "As far as I know, the shadows and the contracts are all her own. But I do know that when I become the ruler of the Nightosphere, I can create my own contracts. I just don't think I want to do that anymore…"

Was that… regret? Something felt wrong. "'Any more'? You mean you _wanted_ to trap people into contracts?"

"Well, yeah… sort of. It's not what you think, Fi. It's just… a long time ago, back when I was only 200 years old, I really, really wanted to take over the Nightosphere. It was such a weird time for me. I was 19 when I was bitten, and after living for so long, things started to change." He blushed a little, waiting for my confused anger to subside.

It didn't. "Go on."

He sighed heavily and dropped his head, floating over to the couch and sitting down. I stood there for a few moments, watching him, but decided I best sit down, too. "Sam had been totally lost by that point, despite how much I pretended she wasn't. She meant everything to me, even though I had found my mom again in the Nightosphere. I was just a confused kid. Being a vampire was so new, and then everything with the Mushroom wars… I hated Sam for succumbing to the tiara, and because of that I clung to my mother. I wanted to rule the Nightosphere, like she did. I felt like there, I could take out all my pain and hatred, and it would just be another day at work. At the time, it sounded like the greatest job around."

He leaned his head on his hand, his arm propped up on his knee, as he took a moment to gather his thoughts. "After a while, the Nightosphere was all I could focus on. I worked hard to prove to my mother that I was as evil and manipulative as she was, and that I could handle the job. I wanted it so bad, and I spent a hundred years doing the most evil things I could think of. Mom always looked down on me, and she was never impressed with what I could do, but still, she found _something_ in me worth giving the Nightosphere to. I don't think she ever really liked ruling it, and because I wanted it so bad, she just sort of settled with me taking it. I remember the day she told me she was going to give it to me. It was the closest thing to happiness I had felt in years. I wanted it _so_ bad."

Marshall chuckled and sat up again, his memories putting a sarcastic smile on his face. "I was stupid then. I pretended that I didn't care about anything but the Nightosphere, that not even Sam mattered to me. But then that day I found her half-frozen in her own ice, and she was crying for help, and for a split second I thought she was Sam… that changed me. I broke her free, and in a fit of hurt and loneliness I rushed to Hannah and demanded she make me a contract. She protects the Ice Queen until the day I take the Nightosphere for her."

He just stared at the wall, his story filling the room with regret and misfortune. "I would have given up anything to keep Sam safe. I just think it's funny that now, after everything that's happened, I'm taking the Nightosphere to protect you, and by doing so I leave her vulnerable."

A sad chuckle escaped his lips, and he leaned down and laid his head in my lap. I moved the shaggy black hair from his face bit by bit, stroking the crown of his head with my other hand. Things really were much worse for him. He had so much more invested in this than the rest of us, and it was all caving in. I tried to comfort him with my hands, holding him with one arm around his chest and the other hand playing with his hair. It didn't matter much, though. He was already falling.

I thought back on that day, on everything he said. I knew there had to be a way around all of this. There just _had_ to. I could trick Hannah into breaking their contracts… somehow. Or maybe I could find that creature in the maze again and wish for their contracts to disappear! That's it!

But wait… we were only allowed one wish.

Alright, well, there was another way. I knew there was. I just had to find it. And today was the perfect day to do it.

We were all meeting at the palace today to spend time together, which gave me the perfect reason to go and snoop through Gumball's library. Reading was never my strong suit, but if I could fight my way past this stupid conundrum, I would have beat the living crap out of it before it even started.

"Cake! I'm off to Gumball's!" I called out to her. She was in the kitchen making her famous bacon pancakes. Since we returned, she's been spending as much time with her already-grown children and with Lord M as she could. I didn't blame her. After what just happened, it felt like life was way shorter than we thought when we were kids.

"But what about the bacon pancakes, sugar? They're almost done!" She stretched her neck and poked her head out from the kitchen, eyeing me questioningly.

"I can't right now, Cake. I have an idea!" I was throwing my backpack on, getting ready to hop down the ladder and out the front door.

"Wait, what idea is this?" Her question stopped me. She sounded suspicious.

"It's just… an idea. I'm going to pilfer through PG's books and see if I can find anything that could get rid of those contracts. Maybe I could even go to the Wizards Council and get a reverse-time spell or something." My words sort of flowed out from my lips without me giving them the permission. I couldn't help it! This was the first _productive_ idea I've had in days.

"Fionna, honey, this sounds like a bad idea waiting to happen. Are you sure you want to go on explorin' for something you don't even know would work? You only got a few—"

"I'm _going_ to find a way, Cake. There's no stopping me in this. I'm not going to let it happen." I stood firm, my sword in one hand and a fist at my side.

She sighed heavily, her body walking up to where her head had stretched to. "Alright, baby, I won't stop you. But you need to tell me the moment you come up with a plan, 'cause I sure as hell ain't lettin' you do this alone." She smiled at me, all motherly and tender. That was just who she was; protective, sometimes overbearing, but always doing what was right for me.

"Thanks, Cake. I'll let you know as soon as I find something." I shot a smile back at her and bounced down the ladder, past all our treasure, and out the front door. Ever since the box, I took any opportunity I could to run, to move, to use my body. It made me feel free, like if I kept running, no one could catch me.

So I ran. I ran all the way to PG's palace.


	2. Chapter 2: The Library

By the time I got to the front gates I was so sweaty and out of breath that the Banana Guards stood straight up to prepare for battle. I waved them down, calling up to them that everything was fine, I just wanted a nice jog. They were a lazy heap of guards, so the moment they knew it was all good, they just sat back down to their poker games or went back to napping.

I walked through the candy streets, my head held high and my stride confident. I had a plan… mostly. Alright, I didn't have a plan _just_ yet, but I DID complete step one: forget about failure. I completed the crap out of step one.

Everyone around me just went about their day, as normal as ever. Gumball told me a couple of days ago that he didn't plan on telling the candy people until a week before the wedding. He said that would be plenty of time for them to have their panic and accept it, or even move away if they wanted to. I guess it was a good thing that we kept our relationship a secret, too. How would they react when they found out Ice Queen would take the throne instead of me?

After regaining my breath, I briskly jogged up the palace steps and straight into the front hall. Like always, Peppermint Maid was waiting for me to lead me to where Gumball was.

"How nice to see you, Fionna. The Prince was just changing for your… encounter… today, in the Violet Room. If you'll just follow—"

"Thanks PM, but I've got some business in the library. Can you tell PG I'll be there in a few minutes?" She looked at me like I had gone insane. I guess I probably looked that way, my hair sticking to my red and sweaty face, my breath coming fast, and me demanding I go to a library, of all places.

"Y—yes, of course." She turned on her heel and walked away, not giving me a second glance.

I walked in the opposite direction, towards the west wing of the palace where the library, the kitchen, and the ballroom were. With all the corners and halls I had to travel down, it seemed like the run here was quicker than actually getting to the library.

"Fionna the Human? What are you doing over here?" I heard a dopey voice ask me from around a corner. It could only be Cinnamon Bun. She was all whacked in the head, or 'half-baked' as Gumball sometimes called her.

"Oh! Hey CB! I'm looking for the library. It's down here, right?" I asked her, hoping she could at least show me where it was.

"The _library_? I LOVE the library! Come this way!" She wobbled down the hall, fixing her bow as it drooped from her forehead down to her face. I think half-baked was a pretty good description.

Within seconds she led me into a room that was twice the size of the tree house. I don't think I've ever been here before, but I knew it was here, and wow, was it _big!_ It had 4 floors of shelves upon shelves of books, and a glass dome ceiling that let the sunlight shine into the massive room. I walked into the middle of the swirling tiles on the floor and looked around me, admiring all of the books that Gumball had collected over the years.

Then it hit me. _Do I have to _read_ all of this?_

"What book are you looking for, Fionna?" Cinnamon Bun asked, watching me patiently.

"I… uh… well, I didn't think about that. I just wanted to find a book that would help me out." I stuttered and fumbled over my words, realizing just how unprepared I was.

"Help you with what? I can help you!" She smiled at me, a big, carefree grin uplifting her soggy features.

"Well… I needed a book that told me about how to break contracts. Or get around contracts. Or something that could tell me how to reverse time. Or a book that had a list of things that granted wishes. Anything, really, that showed me how to get out of this mess." I was careful with my words. She may not have understood everything clearly, but she was stable enough to go around the kingdom telling people my business.

"Ooooh. Well, if you want books on contract magic, they're right over there," she pointed to a case filled with books on the second floor in front of me. "And if you want a book of wishing items, check over there," she said, again pointing to a shelf, but this one being on the first floor. "And then by the fire place are the books on time travel. Oh! And the books on cleaning messes is way up at the top!" She gave me the biggest smile, and then skipped away. I didn't even get to say thank you or anything.

I stood there for a minute, looking around at the shelves she pointed me at. She said contract magic was over there, and wishing items were over there, and time travel was by… something, and… what else was there? Cleaning messes? I didn't need that.

I walked over to the ladder that led to the second floor and looked up, becoming very uneasy with all this reading I had to do. I just sighed, accepted the challenged and scaled the ladder to get to the books.

_Contracts and Their Bearers_. Well, that sounded good.

_How To Draw A Contract_. Er, I know some of that.

_Is This Contract A Good Idea?_ Heh, nope. Next one.

_So You Want To Break Your Contract_. Oh, that sounds helpful!

_Read It Before You Sign It!_ Didn't need to tell me twice.

Glob, even reading book _titles_ was super boring. Well, I picked two out, so that's a good start. I think.

I hopped over the railing and landed on a table on the first floor. Okay, so maybe libraries weren't so bad when you had things to do cool tricks on.

_No no no, Fionna. Concentrate. Remember the plan!_

Oh yeah, that's right. I sat at the table and opened the first book, _Contracts and Their Bearers_.

_Page 1. Among all of Aaa's creatures, those who possess the skill to bind others into contracts is the most deadly. Contracts first appeared in the year…_

Oh my GLOB THIS IS SO BORING!

Okay, focus. You can do this.

_Page 2. Contract types can range anywhere from wish-granting to death manipulation. One should be careful to avoid all ranges of contracts, so that one is not overwhelmed with…_

Nope. I've had enough. Next book. I pushed the first book away and opened up _So You Want To Break Your Contract_.

_Pg. i. You, the reader, have picked up this book in hopes of finding a way to break your contract. Before you continue reading, you must know one thing._

_You can't._

Wait, are you serious? I groaned and closed that book, pushing it away and slamming my head on the table. This was way more difficult than I thought.

I stood up, walked over to the shelves where wishing items were, and began skimming the titles.

_Wish This!_ Nope.

_Wishing Ponds In The Land of Aaa_. Nope.

_10 Steps To Getting Your Wish_. Maybe.

_The Do's and Don'ts of Wishes_. Eh.

_Wishing Your Problems Away_. Ugh, if only.

I just pulled out 3 random books and trudged over to the table, dropped them, sat down, and began flipping through the pages.

"Miss Fionna, can I be of assistance?" I jumped in my seat, not realizing that Peppermint Maid was standing behind me.

"I don't know, PM. Do you know anyone who can break Nightosphere contracts? Or turn back time? Or give me _something_ that emulates either of those options?" I turned to look at her, my brain unable to function without some sort of interest.

Her face twisted into this weird expression she got when she talked about the dark arts. She was always a pretty freaky candy person, but she never gave me bad information. "You need to see The Seeress. She can help you."

"The… Seeress? I've never heard of her."

"Good!" she shouted, losing her calm for a moment. Then she cleared her throat and continued. "I mean, that's expected. She avoids others for reasons all her own. If you go to see her, she'll either deem you worthy or kill you on the spot, but if there's anything at all that you need, she'll tell you how."

She sounded great! I mean other than the whole killing-you-on-the-spot part. "Where can I find her, PM?" I put my hands on her shoulders, my face blazing with excitement and anticipation.

She looked at one of my hands, then the other, and slowly turned her gaze on me. It felt like my whole body turned to ash under her evil glare, and I carefully took my hands off of her. "If you _must_ find her, I'll tell you where. She resides in the crevice of the Thunderback Mountains, where the thunder comes from when the earth is angry." Her voice was so deep and menacing that it struck fear into my heart. I could only look at her, wide-eyed and tense, questioning the value of my life.

"By the way, Miss Fionna, the Prince is expecting to see you. If you're done here, I'll take you to him." And like a snap of her fingers, her cheery, friendly voice broke my fearful trance.

I shook my head and smiled at her, standing up tall and trying to brush off the creeps she gave me. "Uh, yeah, thanks PM. I'd like to see him now."

"Very well, follow me." She turned on her heel and began to glide out of the library. Literally _glide_. This library should have a book featuring all the dangers that awaited you if you pissed off Peppermint Maid.

I followed her out, not following too close for fear that she would eat my flesh or something if I did.

Through the halls, around some corners, in one room and out another, and throw in some stairs somewhere in there, and voila! We were at the Violent Room.

"Enjoy your stay today, Miss Fionna. And don't forget what I've told you." She shot me a side glance that could kill if she wanted it to.

I took in a big gulp and thanked the Cosmic Owl that I was on her good side… sort of. "Th—thanks, PM. I'll see you later." Just like before, she turned on her heel and glided away, into the shadows, into the darkness…

I shook my head and tried to calm myself. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Glob, she could really set those creepies on you like no one's business! But I had other things to think about. I had to tell Marshall and Gumball my sort-of plan. I was beyond excited to have some sort of lead, and with the added pressure of the time constraints, it was like it made this mission all the better.

Yeah! I could do this! Positivity and productivity! I will not accept defeat! I can do this!

_CRASH!_

What was that? It sounded like something broke in the bedroom. Glob, I'm so _stupid!_ I'm out here babbling in my head about plans and positivity and something—oh glob, I was doing it again.

I gathered my thoughts, pulled out my sword, and put my hand on the door knob.

Okay, I'll open the door in 3…

2…

1…

_Creeeeaaakkkkk…_


	3. Chapter 3: Two Kings

The clang of my sword hitting the marble floor wasn't even enough to get me to blink at what I saw. It was so… _beautiful_! I never expected to be so effected by something like this. I didn't even think I would be ready to see it in action, let alone enjoy it so much.

My eyes traveled from the bottom upwards, starting at Gumball's knees spread on the sheets, Marshall's legs keeping them open behind him. Gumball's pants where unbuttoned and barely hanging onto his hips, the V that traveled from his pink, toned tummy to his crotch fully exposed. Marshall had one hand in Gumball's pants, cupping him, stroking him gently up and down, while Gumball held tightly to Marshall's arm with one hand. Gumball's shirt was unbuttoned and slipping off his shoulders, whereas Marshall had no shirt on at all, with his free arm wrapped around Gumball's chest, and Gumball's hand gripping Marshall's arm. Gumball's head rested on the vampires shoulder, his cheeks flushed a bright red color, his eyes lidded as they forced themselves to look at me, his mouth slightly open as he let small moans escape. Marshall's face was half-hidden by his hair, but I could see his fangs sunken deep into Gumball's neck, the color slowly draining there bit by bit. One red eye peered at me from behind the dark black hair as his lips curled up around Gumball's neck in such a seductive manner.

The sight of it all made my knees weak and made me tremble a bit. My mind was screaming at me to go to them, to touch them, to be with them, but my body stood still, making me watch, fulfilling my need to see more.

Marshall moved his gaze from me and lifted his mouth from Gumball's neck, licking the spots where he bit in with his fangs. He broke Gumball's grip on his arms, pulled his hand away from Gumball's junk, and began to undress Gumball in front of me, teasing me, enticing me to come closer. It was like he was dangling Gumball's magnificent body in front of me, bidding me to come forward to taste it, to take it.

I did just what he wanted. I dropped my back pack on the floor, and as I began to walk to my two kings on the violet bed, I pulled my clothes off piece by piece, everything coming off smoothly, as if in my trance my body knew exactly what to do.

Marshall grabbed Gumball's manhood, making him gasp, and began to stroke him slowly, up and down, gliding his fingers along Gumball's length from behind him. I fell to my knees on the marble, only my panties and stockings still on, and watched Marshall's hand work Gumball's rock hard member. Without realizing it, I leaned forward and licked his tip, tasting the salty sweetness dripping out of him. Gumball let out a moan, his hips bucking forward slightly, his body begging me for more. I wrapped my lips around his tip, swirling my tongue around and around him, massaging his shaft with my lips. Marshall kept stroking him as I sucked on him, using my tongue and teeth to entice him. I slid my mouth further down his shaft until Marshall's hand met my lips. He moved his hand away, kissed Gumball's neck, and moved out from behind him and off the bed. I didn't pay attention to where he was going, I just kept sucking on Gumball's sweet, pink member, reveling in every gasp and moan he gave me. Each time he made a noise, I slid farther down his shaft, getting as far as I could before he hit the back of my throat. I was so lucky I didn't gag.

I felt Marshall come up behind me, cradling my body with his. He cupped my ass with his warmed up hands, sliding them upwards, slowly making his way to my breasts, where he massaged and fondled them. He bit my neck, sucking and licking the same spot, and pinched my nipples, making me squeal onto Gumball's shaft. Gumball bucked a little bit, forcing himself into my mouth even deeper. I lightly grazed my teeth against him as I pulled back, making him shudder, before I started sucking on him again, fast and hard. One of Marshall's hands left my breast and traveled its way down my stomach and into my panties. He rubbed my lips gently at first, feeling the moisture that's been collecting there since I walked in. Then, he slipped one finger between my lips, caressing my clit tenderly, making me moan onto Gumball's manhood and forcing me to stop for a second. Marshall licked my ear, then slid his finger from my clit and into me, penetrating me, stroking and massaging those spots that he knew I couldn't get enough of. I gave Gumball one good last suck before I pulled myself away from him, my head going back as Marshall worked those spots between my thighs. I couldn't concentrate on pleasing Gumball when Marshall was doing this, so instead, Marshall took up where I left off.

He leaned over my shoulder, his finger working inside of me still, and he engulfed Gumball's length in his mouth. He wasn't gentle and calculated, like me. He sucked hard and fast, and every few seconds he would take it away, teasing Gumball, making him want more. Then he would lick Gumball's tip, making Gumball buck, before he would start sucking on him again. Marshall slipped another finger inside of me, moving them faster, making them dance against my walls, and it broke my concentration, my fascination. I had never seen them, or anyone, together like this. I loved it. I loved watching it. It turned me on, made me wetter. Marshall pinched my nipple again, forcing me to push my body hard against his. He only took it as a reason to move his fingers faster, harder, get them in deeper. I felt it, I felt the pressure growing, filling me up, preparing me for complete ecstasy. Within seconds I was bucking and screaming against Marshall, the warm pleasure flowing through my whole body, flooding me and weakening me.

I felt Marshall slip his fingers out of me, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Gumball sucking on them tenderly. Then, Marshall picked me up from the ground and floated us onto the bed, my body still twitching slightly from the pleasure. I laid on my side, letting my body relax a little as Marshall pulled off my panties. Gumball crawled up beside me, pulling my long blonde hair away from my face. He pressed his body against mine, his member still hard and wet, as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me tenderly. I ran my fingers through his thick pink hair, licking his lips and nibbling gently on his tongue. From behind me I felt Marshall crawl up, now totally naked, as he wrapped one arm around my hips, pulling me against him. He bit my ear and stroked my thigh with his hand, coaxing me to open up for him. I lifted my stocking-covered leg and he slid his arm under it, holding it up. I held tightly to Gumball, waiting for Marshall to crash into me, sending me reeling and back into a flurry of passion. Marshall smashed into me, thrusting hard and fast, his breathing heavy and labored from behind me. I crushed my lips onto Gumball's, screaming my pleasure into his mouth, digging my fingers into his hair and back. The screams and moans only made Marshall thrust harder and faster, and I pressed myself into him, making him go deeper. The sensations of being between them, of everything working together so perfectly… it just added to my build up.

Marshall slid his arm under my head and held tightly to my breast for leverage as he pounded into me even harder. Gumball lifted himself onto his arm, breaking my grasp on his shoulder and hair and making me cling to the sheets. He leaned over me and locked his lips with Marshall, kissing him passionately and sweetly, until Marshall took over the kiss and turned it into an intense make out. Gumballs hand slid from my shoulder, down my side, onto my hip, and then into my crotch, where he rubbed my lips and fingered my clit, keeping the fast rhythm that Marshall had going. That did it for me. I couldn't hold onto my climax for long with Marshall thrusting into my abused slit and Gumball massaging my clit at once. I grabbed a pillow and pressed it hard against my face, screaming into it as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into me, making my body shudder and making me clench around Marshall.

He thrust into me repeatedly, hard and fast, prolonging my ecstasy, until finally he pulled out. He didn't spill himself, though. It was like he wanted to give Gumball a turn, which is exactly what he did. Gumball crawled up to the headboard, sitting up against it for support. He leaned down and helped me up as I tried to crawl over to him. I kissed him passionately, his soft lips moving in sync with mine, before he turned me around and sat me in his lap. Carefully, he slid himself into me, my wetness making me completely slippery. We were both facing Marshall, who watched us move together tenderly, the sweat dripping off of his body. I leaned back onto Gumball, moving my hips back and forth as he moved his up and down, creating a slow rhythm that gradually built me up again. Gumball wrapped his arms around me, crossing them at my chest and grabbing a breast in each hand. He held me close to him as he began to pump his hips a little faster, getting himself in a little deeper. The buildup felt amazing after the pounding I just got from Marshall. It was the perfect way to bring me again without overdoing it. Gumball kissed my shoulder gingerly, trickling his tongue from my collar bone up to my neck. I moaned into the violet canopy above us, enjoying every moment of the pleasure I felt. Marshall leaned down between our legs, leaving a trail of kisses from my belly down to my slit, where he licked us both gently, adding to the sensations. Both Gumball and I moaned for him, and Gumball moved his hands from my breasts to my shoulders. He held onto me tightly, holding me down onto him, before he started slamming into me from under him. Marshall sucked on my clit and licked Gumball as he thrust into me with a passionate rhythm, and all of it together built the pressure up again for a third time. I tried to hold it back, digging my nails into Gumball's thighs and biting my lip as hard as I could, but it was no use. With one long lick from Marshall and one good thrust from Gumball, I was being flooded once more with passionate ecstasy. I bucked my hips and body against the both of them, unable to control my movements. The warm, sweet climax tumbled through me with such a force that I had to find the time to breathe between gasps and groans.

Gumball slowed his pace as I came, letting the waves hit me on their own. Finally, my whole body went slack, and I nearly fell off of him. Together, they laid me down, each one planting a kiss on my flushed, hot lips as I panted and tried to let the fuzzy vision go away. Suddenly, Gumball was above me on his hands and knees, his face flushed and his breathing hard. He had a gleam of sweat outlining his beautiful chest and stomach, making me reach up to touch him. I pulled his head down to kiss me. I wanted to taste his sweet, warm lips. But as our lips met, he let out a moan, and his body began to rock above me. When I looked up, I saw Marshall behind him, his hands holding Gumball's hips tightly, forcing himself into Gumball from behind. Gumball's face twisted into a mess of pleasure as he moaned just inches away from my face. I pulled him down again, into a kiss, being the leverage he needed as Marshall penetrated him. I thought for a moment about when I thought I would feel weird when this time came, but I didn't. I really didn't. I enjoyed them being able to be together. I loved watching Marshall and Gumball please each other, and I loved seeing them affectionate. It was like my circle was completed when they came together.

I forced my tongue into Gumball's moaning mouth, licking his lips and flicking his tongue. He was too wrapped up in his own pleasure to play with my tongue back, but I didn't mind. He tightly grasped onto a lock of my hair, causing me to gasp. Marshall heard it, and began pumping into him faster.

"Glob… oh glob! Marshall!" Gumball moaned. I knew that look, I knew those cries. I grasped onto his manhood and stroked him in rhythm with Marshall. His breathing grew labored and his body began to shake, and within moments, he spilled himself onto my hand and tummy. Marshall thrust into him just a few more times, letting the climax shred its way through him, before Marshall pulled out and spilled himself into his own hand.

Gumball fell to one side of me, and Marshall fell to the other. Together we were a mess of panting and sweat, creating a haze of sheer ecstasy to fill the room. I don't think any of us had the strength to get up for cleaning supplies, so we just laid there, the three of us, basking in the glow of our intimacy.

When we were all three together like this, I forgot that everything outside of us existed. It was just me and my two kings, one of darkness and one of light. I didn't mind that, not at all.


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

What… what time was it? Did I pass out again? I think I did. I felt groggy and sore, and I had a massive head ache. I really shouldn't let them double-team me like that without warning.

I sat up, still completely naked, and looked around me. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who fell asleep. Both of them were curled up and passed out beside me. I couldn't help but smile. Their peaceful expressions made my heart grow warm, because I knew, when they slept, they weren't letting the outside get in.

But there was a problem. How was I going to get around them to get dressed? Marshall was so close to the edge that he was about to fall off, so I couldn't crawl over him. Gumball was a little more reasonable, and he was closer to my clothes, but I still risked waking him up. I sighed deeply, sliding my butt down close to his legs so I could try to stealthily crawl over him. Like a ninja. A naked ninja.

I threw one leg over first, then the other, then both arms. I thought I was free and clear, until I tried to slide off the bed, and my ridiculously long hair slid across his thighs. He twitched at the feeling and opened his eyes. When he noticed I wasn't there, he turned around, and saw me standing by the edge of the bed, naked, a blush strewn across my face as I inwardly cursed my obnoxiously long hair.

"H—hey Fi, what's up?" he whispered, turning his whole body around and rubbing his eyes. "And what time is it? I feel like I've slept for days."

That was a good question. I looked at the clock, and it read 7:08. "It's way past your bedtime, your highness," I said teasingly, smiling playfully at him.

He chuckled and sat up carefully, probably as sore as I was. "That was…"

"Beyond incredible, I know," I finished for him. It was true. I felt like every need was fulfilled when I was with both of them.

"Heh, yeah, that's it." We stood there quiet for a moment, basking in the afterglow. Then I began searching the darkened room for my clothing, finding bits and pieces here and there. I didn't remember flinging them so far across the room, but then, I didn't remember much to begin with. Gumball stood up and started picking his clothes up too, sliding his long, slender legs into his boxer briefs and white jeans, not even bothering to button them. I abandoned my search for a moment as I took in the sight of him. There was just _something_ about the boxer band peaking out of a guys jeans that I couldn't get enough of.

"Hey, Fi, I'm up here." I broke my gaze and looked at his face, smiling at me like my fascination with his midsection was amusing.

I let out a nervous chuckle and apologized, embarrassed by how easily I get distracted with the two of them. I found my panties, but they were all… wet… and cold… and totally too uncomfortable to wear.

Gumball threw a pair of boxers at me, giggling. "Here, put these on. I'll keep your panties and wear them later for Marshall."

I almost burst into laughter, but I quickly cupped my hand around my face to prevent my chuckling from waking Marshall up. "That's so sexy, Gumball. But thanks for the man-panties."

He laughed at me, his face alit with joy. Then, he turned serious, his gaze falling heavily on my eyes. "Fionna, about the contract…"

"Oh! That's right! I totally forgot!" The word 'contract' reminded me of my plan from earlier.

"Erm…" he started, but I walked up to him and hushed him with my fingers.

"Let's go to that study attached to this room and close the doors. I think Marshall needs the sleep." He nodded at me and led me into the study, where a warm fire was already lit, lighting the room in a warm, fuzzy glow.

Gumball closed the doors and turned to me. "Fionna, I wanted to talk to you about my contract."

"That's great! But I wanted to talk about that too. I have a plan, PG! I'm going to find a way to get you out of this!" I was so excited I was almost shaking. I didn't even notice his posture change to one of discomfort.

"Fionna, we already talked about this. There's no way—"

"No way that we _know of_," I corrected him. "That's the best part! Peppermint Maid told me about a Seeress in the Thunderback Mountains, who will tell me what I need to do to break the contracts! I was thinking we could go tonight, as soon as Marshall wakes up. Oh! That reminds me, I need to call Cake and let her know. Do you have any idea how scary Peppermint Maid is? She's totally freaky and—"

"The Seeress? Fionna, you can't be serious. Do you even know who she is? What she's done? She's more powerful than Hannah! She kills you instantaneously, just by manipulating your own energy!" Gumball laid his hands on my shoulders, looking down on me with concern and sympathy.

"Yeah, I know that, but she won't kill us. I know it. We have too much to live for just to die by some crazy mountain lady. We can do this, Gumball!"

He dropped his hands and his gaze from me, avoiding eye contact. "Actually, we can't. Even if this wasn't a totally insane plan, Marshall and I are bound by our contracts to stay within the confines of the Candy Kingdom. The moment either of us step out of boundaries, Hannah kills you. We're prisoners here."

My heart dropped. Prisoners? _Here_? "But… but you didn't tell me that before," I babbled, not really sure what to say.

"I didn't think I would need to. I thought we would live out these two months peacefully, or at least try to live them out peacefully. I never expected you to get the crazy notion that you could see the Seeress about this."

"Why is it such a crazy notion, PG? I want to save you guys! I want to keep you from marrying that old ice hag! I want Marshall to keep his freedom! And I want us to be together! Don't you think that even if there's the slightest chance at all, that you would do anything, absolutely anything, to make that happen?" I was getting angry, but mostly because I was upset. Hannah and the Ice Queen made sure that we would never try to escape.

"Fionna, please, listen to yourself. You're trying to avoid the unavoidable. I've accepted it. Marshall's accepted it. There's nothing we can do to change this." He looked so sad, so defeated. I could tell that he's thought a lot about this, maybe even more than I have.

I hugged him, held him close to me, and tilted my head up so I could rest my chin on his shoulder. "There _is_ a way, Gumball. I know there is. I'm going to find it, and I'm going to free you guys. I'll go to the ends of the earth to save you."

He held me tight against him, not saying a word. We stood there for a few moments, together in an embrace, before he finally spoke. "I've always said that I would never stop you from accomplishing your dreams, but Fionna, I'm begging you, please reconsider this one. Just this one."

"This dream is the most important, Gumball. Even if I never come back, doing this one thing, saving the two of you, that would make me happy. I would be able to rest in peace if I knew the two of you were safe." I felt a tear drip onto my face, where his cheek and my cheek met. I hugged him tighter, then stood up on my tip toes to give him a kiss. "I love you, Gumball. I love you and Marshall. You two faced a Ketra, the Ice Queen, Hannah, the wilderness _and_ each other for me. You can be damn sure that I would go see the Seeress for you."

He let out a small, sad chuckle and squeezed me before pulling us apart and holding me in front of him. "You are a brave adventuress, Fionna the Human. How did I end up with such a courageous woman?"

"You're just really, really lucky," I smiled at him, giving him a light peck on his lips.

"Don't forget about that sexy vampire you can't keep your hands off of, Bubba!" As always with perfect timing, Marshall Lee opened the study doors and floated in, still rubbing his tired eyes.

"I don't think I could forget even if I wanted to," Gumball replied with a sarcastic tone of voice. Despite the fact that they loved each other now, they still spoke like they were enemies, and I still found it funny.

Marshall floated his way over to Gumball and sat himself on his shoulders, making Gumball let out a _huff_ as he took on all the weight. "Glob you're heavy!"

"It's all the awesome I carry around. Don't worry, you'll get used to it, Gummy. So what're my love birds discussing in here? If it's a surprise party for me, I'm totally down. I've got a list of everything I want. Bands, food, other bands, people…" He looked down at us with mock anticipation, knowing full well we weren't talking about a surprise party for him.

"Actually, we were talking about how lucky you two are to have such a strong, talented, amazing, kick-butt woman," I teased, trying to mimic Marshall's devilish smile.

"And beautiful, don't forget beautiful," Marshall added, and Gumball nodded his head in agreement.

"You two are such suck-ups," I said, laughing.

They both chuckled too, Marshall slightly bouncing on Gumball's shoulders. "Yeah yeah, whatever. So what were you two talking about, really?"

"We were talking about my plans to—"

"To go down to the lake tomorrow. The rainbow fish are supposed to be organizing some sort of party there, and we thought it would be fun." Gumball totally cut me off, and with a plan that was so totes ridiculous I wasn't sure what to think of it. He shot me a quick glare, one telling me not to open my mouth right now, that he needed to talk to me first.

"Y—yeah, it's supposed to be this awesome party. I hear the water sprites are playing these cool new bongo things. Maybe you could bring your bass!" I smiled at Marshall, trying really, really hard not to let my sudden discomfort show through.

He eyed me suspiciously, his dark red eyes piercing through my soul. He wasn't nearly as terrifying as Peppermint Maid, but he still made me shake a little. "You guys are so lame. A fish party? Come on, there's a concert tomorrow! Let's do that instead!"

I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding and smiled at them. "Okay, a concert then. Doesn't matter to me. I just want to _dance!_" I threw my head around and shook my body in a dance-like nature, trying to lighten the mood. It worked. They both nearly fell over laughing at me, Marshall falling off of PG's shoulders in hysterics. I laughed with them, bathing in the sound of their care-free laugher.

It was moments like this that I would remember, that I would use as fuel, for my adventure. There's not a single force in this world that could keep me from them. Not one.


	5. Chapter 5: Trust

For hours we talked together, laughing, playing, flirting, and even getting into some heavy petting and kissing. It was like we just couldn't get enough of each other, like every moment together was a moment of being on some crazy drug. I couldn't get my fill of them; emotionally, mentally, physically, sexually. I felt so whole around them.

That's probably what hurt the most when I left the palace the next morning. When I left, I knew that there was a huge possibility I wasn't coming back. I also knew that there was an even bigger possibility of coming back empty-handed and a failure. Despite everything this adventure was meant to be, it was still a bigger risk than any sane person would actually take. I didn't want to fully accept that fact, so I acted as though everything would go well. At least to Gumball. Marshall didn't know anything of my plan.

Marshall crept out through the window very early in the morning, not wanting to be around when the sun came up. I didn't even know he left, and neither did Gumball. Together we slept, cuddled in a mess of sheets and covers, until the suns blaze woke me out of a dead sleep.

I sat up and groaned, rubbing the light out of my eyes before looking around me. I sort of expected Marshall to be gone, but part of me always hoped he would be there in the morning, like he used to do. I don't know why all of the sudden he started leaving. Maybe he didn't want to be seen floating out of Gumball's bedroom window in the day time. Or maybe he just didn't want to wait for us to wake up. Or… or maybe, being with us for too long, coupled with having those contracts over his head, made it difficult for him. I never questioned his reasoning. I just accepted that this is what he wanted, and that no matter when he left, he _always_ came back.

Gumball stretched next to me and flung an arm loosely around my lap, hiding his head in my hip from the sun. "Make it go away, Fionna. I'm still tired," he grumbled, holding me a little bit tighter.

"If you let me go, I could get up and close the curtains," I suggested, stroking the arm that held me to the bed.

"Never. I'll just have to suffer the morning suns light." He sat up slowly and left a small kiss just above my hip, smiling at me. I couldn't help but giggle a little and smile back at him.

I leaned my head onto his bare shoulder, adjusting my eyes to the morning glow that lit up the violet room. "Gumball, why didn't you let me tell Marshall?"

"Hm? You mean yesterday? I'm sorry if I acted rudely, Fionna. It was not my intentions to interrupt or upset you." He leaned his head on mine and hung his arm on my shoulder.

"You didn't upset me or anything, and I know you're trying to change the subject. I just want to know why we kept it from Marshall."

Gumball went still for a moment, calculating his next move. "If Marshall knew who you were going to see, then he would find a way to stop you. I have faith in your abilities and in the pureness of your heart, but Marshall… he's not like me. It's not that he doesn't trust you, it's just that he doesn't trust you to keep yourself safe. He sees you as something to protect, always, despite the fact that you've saved both of us on numerous occasions."

"He sees me like some weakling? Is it because I'm a girl?" I was a little mad. I mean I kick monster butt on a daily basis, and Marshall still feels like I couldn't handle myself? If I wanted to be reasonable, I could go back to that part in our lives where my clumsiness landed us all in this perpetual trap of misery, but who wanted to be rational?

"Who knows why? All I'm saying is that if you're going to go, you should go before he finds out. He will do anything he can to stop you, but if you're out of the boundaries of the Candy Kingdom, not even he would be foolish enough to follow you." Gumball leaned over and planted a kiss on my forehead before sliding past me and walking to the bathroom. "But… before you go, perhaps you'd like to take a shower?"

I watched him as he walked, already naked from our slumber, and smiled flirtatiously at him. "So sorry, Gumball, but I never shower alone."

"Who said anything about being alone?" He smiled back, his seductive grin getting better every day. I jumped off the bed and ran at full speed, jumping onto him and wrapping my legs and arms around him. He caught me, though he was a bit wobbly, and gripped his arms under my butt to hold me up, carrying me into the sparkling white and violet bathroom…

* * *

My first stop before leaving was the tree house. I needed a totally different sword for this. There were gravel goblins in the Thunderback Mountains, and the sword I had on me wasn't going to be enough. Not to mention the fact that Cake would absolutely lose it if I left her behind. Her scariness would rival Peppermint Maids.

"Cake! I'm back! And I have a plan!" I yelled into the tree house as I sauntered into the living room. She came out with oven mitts on, holding some sort of casserole dish fresh out of the oven.

"Sweet babies! I'm glad you're home girl, because I just made this kickin' blazzyberry pie. Wildberry Prince gave the recipe to me, and honey, this pie is to _die_ for!" Her face was bright with excitement and anticipation, the smells of the pie surrounding the whole living room.

"That's mathematical Cake! But we have to save it for later. We've got an adventure!" I tried to match her enthusiasm, but somehow I knew she wouldn't be as excited as I was.

"You mean your plan? Did you figure out what to do?" she asked, momentarily distracted from her delicious creation.

"I did. Peppermint Maid told me about The Seeress who lives in the Thunderback Mountains. She said if I go to see her, the Seeress will—"

_CLANK!_

The casserole dish filled with pie had fallen to the ground, the dish shattering and the pie spilling out onto the floor.

"You're going to see who now? Fionna I _know_ I did not hear you say The Seeress. Honey I don't care how desperate you are, no one sees The Seeress and lives." Cake watched me carefully, her mitted paws defiantly on her hips.

"Well _someone_ had to live to tell the rest of us about her, right? Come on Cake! This is our only chance!" I felt like I was whining, but what could I do? If Cake said 'no', it was very hard to go against her will.

"You got a point, baby, but that doesn't make a difference. She's going to kill you on the spot! That's just what she does. She's a monster, Fi!" Cake looked worried, like I had totally lost my mind.

"She's the monster that could tell me what I need to know," I said, taking up the defensive stance.

"What about the library? Didn't you find anything useful there?" I think she noticed my defiance, because now it felt like she was grasping for straws.

I tensed a little bit and dropped my gaze, slightly ashamed. "Well, no. Not really…"

"Did you even _read_ a book, Fi?"

"I did! I read three!"

"Uh huh. And how many pages did you read?" Her gaze slid up and down my uncomfortable, unable-to-lie-to-her body.

"Like… 10! Alright fine, it was more like 3," I looked at her bashfully, hoping she would at least take that. She didn't. It was written all over her face how much she didn't believe me. "Okay! It was like half a sentence per page. But still! That's more reading than I've done in months!" She continued to glare disbelievingly at me, her arms crossed across her chest. "But Caaakkkeee reading is so booorrriiinnggggg!"

Alright, _now_ I was whining.

"Girl, I don't care how boring it is. It's safer and way more sane than going to see the mountain witch."

I detached my gaze from hers again, this time standing up straight and feeling totally unyielding. "It could take me years to find the answer in books. At this rate, I have a better chance of fixing this if I just go straight to The Seeress. And if you won't go with me, I understand. Actually, I'd prefer if you stayed here, so you could be safe… and not… and not be put through hell again because of me…"

All of the memories of Cake in that glass box with me, her frustration, her resentment, and her patience with me. She put up with so much because of what I did. I didn't want to put her through that again.

She walked up to me and wrapped herself all the way around my body, twisting around my ankles and going all the way up to my shoulders, like she was gently hugging me. "Fi, I would never leave you to go on a mission alone. Ever. No matter how crazy stupid it is."

I chuckled at her. Cake always knew how to add in those few words to make things seem way better. "You're the greatest, Cake!"

She uncurled herself from me and stood in front of me, tall and proud. "I know baby, I know. Ain't got to tell me twice." The sheer arrogance made me bust out into a full-fledged laugh as Cake joined me in the fun.

After we had laughed for a good few minutes, I calmed down, wiped the tears from my eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled out the map of the Thunderback Mountains. "I figure if we leave today, before 3, we could get to the base around dark and set up camp. The whole trip will take about 4 days, but if we hurry and not get distracted, we could make it sooner."

"Or," Cake interrupted, walking around the map so she could see it clearly, "Lord M could give us a ride." She shot me a winning smile, and I knew she had talked to him about this already.

"Lord M? Doesn't he like to hang around the Candy Kingdom with Gumball and the kittens?"

"He does, but after almost losing me to Ice Crazy, he pretty much demanded I take him with us. And let's face it, travel is way faster with him."

I thought about it for a minute, wondering if it was a good idea to get anyone else involved. If this Seeress is as dangerous as everyone says she is, then maybe I should just go alone, without Cake.

"Cake, I don't know. I don't want to bring anyone into this mess. I might just go by myself, to make sure that if she kills anyone, it'll just be me." Even to me my voice sounded unsure, but she just gave me her hard look of disapproval.

"We are going, Fi. You can't stop us. I'mma call up Lord right now and have him come over. We are _going_ to see this mountain witch, we are _going_ to get her answer, and we are _going_ to save your men. That's final, Fionna."

She didn't even give me a chance to argue. She just turned around abruptly and headed to the kitchen, completely ignoring the ruined pie on the floor. I sighed heavily and sat down at the desk in the corner, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen. Marshall still didn't know my plan, and even though I've said my goodbye's already to Gumball, it wouldn't be right to leave here without giving Marshall _something_ of a goodbye.

_Marshall,_

_I know that as you read this you're probably shaking with anger. No doubt PG told you I'm going to see The Seeress. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but if I did, I know you would have tried to stop me. I didn't want that to happen. This is our last chance to be free of those contracts, and I'm going to take it. I love you, Marshall. I would do anything to see you and Gumball free again._

_Please don't come after me. I promise, I'll come back to you. _

_ Love, Fi_

I folded the piece of paper in half, crawled up the ladder to the bedroom, and gently laid the note on my pillow. If there was anywhere that he would find it, it would be there.

"Fi, get your move on, girl! It's time to go!" I could tell Cake put everything she had into forgetting the fact that The Seeress was even more powerful than Hannah, and would probably kill us all. She was really good like that.

I hopped down the ladder hole, picked up my sword from the corner of the living room, grabbed my lucky green backpack, and headed to the front door below. Cake was already waiting outside, sitting on Lord Monochromicon with a knapsack full of goodies I probably forgot to pack, myself. With a running start I leapt onto his back, and within seconds we were in the air, heading towards the fearsome looking mountains in the distance.

This was it. I wasn't turning back now.


	6. Chapter 6: The Seeress

The whole trip was supposed to be about 4 days, but with Lord M flying us there, it only took about 7 hours. I couldn't argue with how great that little time-saver was. If anyone was on a tight schedule, it was me. I was down to 52 days.

We all stopped and set up camp about an hours' walk from the crevice in the mountain, where The Seeress was supposed to be. Lord M was tired, and so was Cake. I pretended to be as tired as they were, so I wouldn't raise suspicion.

I went to my sleeping mat early, doing my best to make it look like I had passed out. The two of them talked for a bit. Well, Cake talked. Lord just sort of tapped his hoof on the floor gently to reply to Cake. They spoke about their now fully-grown kittens, about their relationship, about me… and about the fate of the Candy Kingdom.

"I know Fionna doesn't want to, but if the Ice Queen takes the throne, we might have to move away. I don't care how much protection she's got from Hannah. Ice Queen will find a way to make Fionna miserable," Cake whispered, trying to keep quiet.

Lord M tapped his hoof gently to the ground and huffed a bit, agreeing with her. "I know, baby. For her sake, I hope this crazy plan works, too. They say The Seeress sees more than just this world. She's got the power to manipulate anything, anywhere, in any point in space or time. They say that she just stops your heart cold when she doesn't feel you're worthy." Cake sighed heavily, a sad, defeated sound. "I don't know why PM even told her about The Seeress. But, once that girls got her head around something, there's no stopping her. She's got a spirit that not even the Lich could extinguish."

Lord huffed and tapped again, prompting a sincere 'aaawweee' from Cake. "Alright sugar, let's get some shut-eye. We got a _big_ day ahead of us."

I heard Cake crawl into the donut hole shape that Lord M had made with his long black body, snuggling up into a little white and cream fluff ball. Within minutes, they were both snoring away. That was always the sign that Cake couldn't be woken up. When she snored, she was so gone that only the Cosmic Owl could wake her.

Carefully I crawled out from under my blanket, silently gathered my things, and tip-toed past the sleeping couple. I felt horrible for leaving them behind, but I had made up my mind before we even left that I would do this alone. I had no way to tell her what I was doing, or even where to look for me if things went wrong. I just had to trust that The Seeress would deem me worthy, and I would survive.

The hike was longer than I thought it would be. That was probably because I kept stumbling and falling on myself in the pitch-black woods. My eyes couldn't even adjust to the darkness. I had almost turned around, thinking I had just gotten myself lost, when I saw the light green glow come up from the horizon of the mountain's edge. I made a bee-line for it, my feet moving a little quicker, my breath coming a little faster, my balance keeping me up a little better. With every step I took I was one step closer to the end of my life or the end of their contracts.

I stopped at the edge of this crater in the mountain, hiding behind a withering tree, so I could watch carefully. All I saw was this shabby little shack, hardly standing up, built into the crevice's wall, and a fire that had flames as green as grass. There were bones scattered in all areas, some half-buried and some still decomposing. There were also… mirrors? Why were there mirrors everywhere?

"So the girl has come, with not three, but as one. She's come to undo what can't be undone." My whole body froze as chills and electricity went rushing through my spine. That melodical voice was right behind me.

"S—s—Seeress. I—I'm F—Fionna. Fionna the Human." I stood completely still, not able to move even if I had wanted to.

"I know who you are, Fionna Pure Heart. Your future is written above in the stars." As she spoke, her words ran like little needles up and down my spine and neck, making me cringe with fear.

"How—how did you know I was coming?" I was so nervous I was shaking. The way she spoke, her sing-song voice, the rhymes she used… all of it added to the terror building up inside of me.

"She does not have the need to know what I see. If it's answers she wants, she must follow me." She? Was she talking about me?

Without a sound, without even breaking the air current around her, a small, young girl floated past me, gliding just above the ground. She was so… _tiny_! The sight of her alone was enough to snap me out of my horror. She was just a kid! Here I was thinking she was going to be this ancient old hag with some crazy stone on her forehead. But no, she was just a little girl, maybe 12 years old, wearing a tattered black and white tea dress, with brown hair falling to her ankles and what looked to be bandages on the back of her head.

She glided down the steep wall of the crevice, not once looking back to see if I was following her. I guess that if you don't make any noise at all, you get used to the small sounds others made. Especially if they're me, tumbling down the mountain wall and landing harshly on my heels.

"She who fights, so full of might; a hero come to change her blight. She doth not know what fate she holds, and yet she walks an endless road." The girl stood in front of the green fire, her hands clasped in front of her as she spoke.

"I'm—I'm sorry, but I don't understand. I need to know how to destroy the contracts that bind Marshall Lee and Prince Gumball to their miserable futures." I kept my distance from her, afraid that even though she hasn't killed me yet, she might decide to anyway if I got too close.

"Two kingdoms rest upon her chest, both to be ruled by a queen's request. If she wants a change she must arrange to visit a land both similar and strange."

"A land both similar… and strange? Please! Tell me where I need to go! Tell me what I need to do! I will do anything, _anything_ to free them!" I fell to my knees, begging the small girl for an answer, a lead, even a hint as to what I needed to do. I felt the panic coming on, anxiety flooding my heart. I was so close…

The girl turned to me then, slowly, the green glow lighting up her features bit by bit. She was… she was blind! Those bandages, they weren't around her head! They were around her eyes! But then, how did she…

"From time to time I lend my eyes to those who cannot clear the night. So here I rest, within my nest, and play the part of The Seeress." She raised one small, careful hand to her bandages, pulling one part of it up over her left eye. It was all white. There was no pupil, no iris, not even veins. It was just… white. "I watch the air both here and there, from then and now I stay aware. Limits have fleed from people like me, and every world is clear to see."

"So… you see other worlds? Other times? That's so algebraic!" I tried to catch myself from saying anything else by cupping my hand around my mouth. The girl stood still, her white eye staring off into the blackness of the night. She pulled the bandages back down then, turning fully towards me.

She held out her hand to me, and in it laid a small silver hand mirror. How… how did that get there? When was she even holding that? I studied the situation from where I sat for a moment, wondering if it was a good idea to take anything from her. I decided that it was better to take what she offered than deny her help, so I stood up and made my way to her. I stopped in front of the small girl, trying not to stare at her bandages, and picked up the fragile-looking mirror.

"Two relics there are, though kept worlds apart. Together they mesh and break bonds on the heart. One she has seen, the other on a king. A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free."

As she spoke, I looked into the shiny glass mirror, observing its reflection. It first started as a normal mirror, reflecting the image of me, with my bunny hat on, my blond bangs hanging in my face, the sorrow in my eyes.

"_Two relics there are, though kept worlds apart…"_

But then, my face started to change. My chin widened and started to grow a beard. My hats ears shrunk down to look more like a bear than a bunny. The sadness in my blue eyes was replaced with laughter and joy.

_"Together they mesh and break bonds on the heart…"_

It wasn't me anymore, but it was. It was me… as a man. He looked so _real_, so much like _me_. My eyes widened and my mouth fell open as the image changed, first to him, but then to others. I saw PG, but as a woman, working away in her lab, with the same pink hair and pink skin. Even their crowns looked similar.

_"One she has seen, the other on a king…"_

And was that _Marshall_? The vampire floated in the air, singing her heart out, playing the same bass guitar that Marshall had. Then there was Flame Prince, but as a young woman, kneeling down by a pond and watching some ducklings swim by. And Cake! But… Cake was a dog? Were these people… were they all lost twins or something?

_"A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free…"_

Ice Queen. She was a man, alone in some frozen-over cave, his long beard touching the ground and his eyes filled with regret and sadness. All of the others were exact, opposite replicas, but this man… there wasn't an ounce of evil in him.

My hand started moving towards the mirror, almost on its own, wanting to touch that face that was so full of loneliness. "What's—what's going on here…" My voice was soft, my mind losing focus as my full attention was captured by the mirror.

"When she is done and hearts she's won, the mirror will send them back as one. Burst on a rock the glass unlocks a portal to this world in shock."

The tip of my finger collided with the glass, warping my hand and pulling me into it. I tried to look up at The Seeress for help, for some sort of understanding as to why this was happening, but when I did, she was gone.

Before I could scream for help, or try to run away, or even pull the mirror off of me, my whole body had twisted and warped in such an unnatural way. Was this how I died? Was I blindsided by a small witch in the mountains? I suddenly felt a deep regret for not saying goodbye to Cake, or to Marshall, or to anyone else. I was being sucked away, probably to my death, and no one would ever find my body. What was worse was that I had failed them all. Again.

I was thrust into a pit of emptiness, a vacuum of swirling colors and patterns, but there was no air. I couldn't breathe. The air was sucked from my lungs as I gasped for oxygen, but within moments, blackness overwhelmed my eyesight, and everything went still.


	7. Chapter 7: Twisted

Glob, why did I feel so _uncomfortable_? I must have fallen asleep on Marshall's couch again. I know I told him not to let me do that—

Wait. I wasn't in Marshall's house. I was just sucked through a portal in a tiny mirror given to me by a blind mountain child witch that spoke in poetry. Right? That was real, right?

I sat up and rubbed the back of my aching head, looking around me as my vision slowly came back. Well, it _did_ look like Marshall's house… but… different… So, was it just a dream, then? Had I done nothing this whole time?

"Hey short stuff, looks like you're finally coming too. How ya feeling?" A sultry, feminine voice echoed from the room that, in Marshall's house, would have been the kitchen. Then, from around the corner floated that girl I saw in the mirror. The vampire that looked just like Marshall.

I fell off the couch onto the floor and scooted back as far as I could, as fast as I could. What the lump was going on here? She looked _just_ like him! The same bite marks, the same red eyes, even the same sort of face! Was this a joke of some kind?

"Who—who are you?! Where am I? What's going on here?!" My voice shook with terror as I watched her float towards me, her hands out in the I'm-not-going-to-hurt-you gesture.

"Whoah there, Bunny Ears! Take it down a notch. I'm Marceline, the Vampire Queen." She smiled gently at me, her fangs poking through her plush lips the same way Marshall's did.

Who? No. No, no, no, no. This is all wrong. _Marceline_? Even her _name_ sounded like Marshall Lee! This was so twisted!

"You—you look _just_ like him! This is so messed up! It's just a weird dream, right? This is nuts, man!" I sounded as panicky as I felt, my voice shaking and going high pitched with disbelief and bewilderment.

"Wow, you even _talk_ like Finn. That's cool. I dig it." Her totally relaxed and completely observational composure made me even more nervous. And who the lump was this Finn guy?

"Hey Marcy! So where's this chick you were—" That _man_! The one in the mirror! The one who's face replaced my own! He was tall, with a think blonde beard and blonde hair on top of his head. He had my eyes. He had my face. He was… he was _human_! And he looked as confused as I felt.

"Oh glob… oh glob! Oh glob! This is way too freaky. This joke needs to end. Now. Come on out, Marshall! This isn't funny anymore!" It had to be Marshall. There was no way I could meet a man who had my face and a woman who had Marshall's… everything.

"Who's Marshall?" Marceline asked, looking at me funny.

"H—hey, Marce? This chick… has my face…"

"Yeah, Finn, that's what I was trying to tell you. She looks just like you. I thought she might be your sister or something." The vampire queen turned to the tall, face-stealing man named Finn, still being the only person in the room who wasn't having a borderline panic attack.

"Marcy, I don't _have_ a sister! And even if I did, don't you think we would look even a _little_ bit different? Come on! She _has my face_!"

I stood up then, realizing that I was being accused instead of him. "Excuse me, but _you_ stole _my_ face! That's been my face for, like, 20 years dude!"

He looked at me in horror, like he didn't think I could speak or something. "But… it's been my face for 20 years…"

Everything went quiet for a moment, the three of us looking at each other in total disbelief. What the junk was going on here?

_"If she wants a change she must arrange to visit a land both similar and strange…"_

Visit a land both similar… and strange…

What the—

"Finn, man, I'm getting old here, bro! I can't move fast like you, dude." The gruff voice came from a small dog, huffing and catching his breath as he came in through the front door like Finn did.

"Cake?" I asked. The dog looked so strikingly similar to her that her name caught in my throat. This was just too weird.

"Uh, no, my name is Jake. And why the junk are you wearing my buddy's face?! But, like, as a chick?" He looked straight at me, totally indifferent to the situation.

"Why is everyone saying I stole _his_ face?! It was _my_ face first!" I was getting upset with all the accusations of being a face stealer. It was these people who took my friends faces!

_"If she wants a change she must arrange to visit a land both similar and strange…"_

"Wait… I went through that portal. It wasn't a dream! This isn't a joke! This is… this is all _real_…" The outburst of my sudden realization left the whole room quiet and confused. They were probably contemplating my sanity.

"Where are you from, exactly? And what is your name?" Marceline asked, eyeing me curiously.

"My name is Fionna the Human, and I'm from the land of Aaa. I think what's happened here is that my mirror sent me to this land, which is the exact same and complete opposite of mine." Still, everyone looked at me like I was totally nuts. I was starting to feel that way, too.

"The land… of Aaa? You mean Ooo? That's where you are now," Finn offered, a look of concern washing over his face.

"No. I'm from Aaa. My name is Fionna the Human, and I have a sister named Cake the Cat, who has magic stretching powers. Marshall Lee is the Vampire King, and Prince Gumball rules the Candy Kingdom, and the Ice Queen trapped him into marrying her, and Hannah Abadeer trapped Marshall into taking over the Nightosphere, and—"

"Wait wait wait wait, you're getting ahead of yourself Bunny Ears. This all sounds crazy, like some made up story with everyone we know as different people." Marceline floated around me, eyeing me up and down, assessing me, analyzing me.

"I know! I know it sounds crazy, but I saw The Seeress, and she gave me nothing but riddles and this mirror—"

"Wait, The Seeress? Dude, she kills people! How did you survive?!" Finn's whole posture changed from that of concern to that of excitement.

"I didn't think I would, but after the mirror sucked me in, I blacked out, and woke up—wait, The Seeress is here? In… what was it you called this place? Ooo? No, that's impossible. She was in Aaa, and she gave me the mirror to travel…" Everything seemed to get more and more confusing as I talked, to the point where not even I made sense to myself.

"You keep talking about this mirror doo-dad. Bring it out! Let's see it!" The dog that looked like Cake totally changed the subject, but I was almost glad of it. I was losing my own fight with sanity.

"You mean this old thing?" Marceline held out a piece of… junk. It had the shape of my mirror, but it was covered in built up lime and decay and dust, and the glass was so grunged up with mud and dirt, I could hardly tell it was even glass at all. "I found it close to you just outside my cave. I figured it was yours when I brought you in."

She handed the mirror over to me, and as I held it in my hands I studied it carefully, trying my best not to shatter it. "Well, I _think_ this is it… but my mirror was so… so beautiful."

"Okay, nice mirror, but tell me about The Seeress! What's she like? Is she some ugly old mountain witch? Or, is she, like, some cosmic goddess or something? Does she grant wishes? Why did she choose you?" Finn was far too excited about The Seeress, but something about him, something about his excitement, his itch for adventure… it left me feeling déjà vu.

Before I could answer him, Marceline got in between us, her long black hair almost touching the floor as she moved and floated in the air. "Calm down there Adventure Boy. Let's take her to Bonnibell. She might know what's going on here. At the very least, she might even be able to tell us why this chick has your face."

"Ugh! I told you already! _He_ has _my_ face!" They all ignored me as they simultaneously agreed to take me and the mirror to whoever this Bonnibell person was. Wait… Bonnibell, Bubba… Was this Bonnibell going to be Prince Gumball? "Is she the Candy Kingdom Princess? I saw her in my mirror! She looked just like my Prince Gumball!"

Marceline turned her curious eyes on me. "_Your_ Gumball? Is he your _lover_, Bunny Ears?" As she spoke she inched closer and closer to me, her voice eerily seductive. Just like Marshall.

My face went hot and I turned away from her, crossing my arms in defiance. "That's not your business. Just… just take me to this Bonnibell person. Maybe _she_ can be a better help."

Marceline chuckled, just like Marshall used to when he would back myself or Gumball into an awkward position.

This kept getting more twisted by the moment.

"Alright, Marcy, that's enough. This is really weird already. You don't need to make it awkward." Finn grew really serious all of the sudden, like her behavior was starting to offend him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I make little Finn mad?" She turned her seductive yet condescending gaze on Finn, and in turn, Finn turned his fierce and hurt-filled gaze on her. What the junk was happening here?

"Stop it, Marceline." Jake interfered, standing in front of Finn.

"Whatever, maggots. You're no fun anymore." She turned her head, her hair dramatically flailing after her, as she darted up the trap door that led to what I knew was her bedroom. It was just like Marshall's house.

"Whoah. Talk about tension. What's going on with you guys?" I forgot for a moment that I had nothing to do with this world. For a moment it was like I had been a part of here my whole life. But… why?

Finn turned his head away, a blush reddening his cheeks. "It's nothing. Come on, let's get going. Marceline will catch up with us later." He turned without looking at me, heading out the front door he came through.

Jake watched after him, unsure who to stay with. He sighed heavily and dropped his head, then looked at me with pity in his eyes. "Finn and Marce have some bad blood. It happened a few years ago, when they both—"

"When we both… _what_, dog?" The sheer fury in her voice, coming right behind my shoulder, made me shudder. She was _terrifying_! I mean Marshall could be scary, but he was always a flirt more than anything. Marceline was… wow.

Jake just glared at her for a moment, a silent conversation passing between them as I watched the sparks fly.

"I, uh, I should just follow Finn, I think…" I nervously interjected, scooting my way out of the corner I had been in and trying to silently make my way through the door. I watched them stare at each other with each step I took, wondering who would stop first. This was really, really tense…

As I made my way past Jake, I noticed his body begin to turn towards me, his head slowly following, as he trailed me out the door. We walked forward for a few moments, the stress still buzzing in the damp air of the cave, before I looked over my shoulder. Marceline was floating behind us, a look of resentment and pain all over her face.

I decided it was best to just keep walking. No talking, no looking at anyone, not even humming a happy tune. This was all weirdness wrapped up in a burrito of tension, and I was smack in the middle.

I really, really hoped Bonnibell would be able to tell us what was going on.


	8. Chapter 8: Science!

Even the walk to the palace was exactly the same. This place was incredible! It was like an exact replica of Aaa, but all of the people were just different. As we walked, I noticed striking similarities in everyone to people I knew. Marceline carried with her a big black umbrella, and sometimes, when her mind wandered, she would start humming, just like Marshall. And Jake couldn't go more than 4 seconds without using his stretching powers—which was totally surreal to see someone other than Cake use—the same way Cake stretches out as much as she can. And Finn… well, _everything_ about him was _me_. There was no other way to describe it. His walk, the way he talked, even the way he shortened people's names. Not even twins could get as similar as we were.

As we walked up the palace steps and through the front door, a little peppermint candy person in a straight black butlers' uniform came to greet us. His composure was calm and elegant, just like Peppermint Maid. That is, until he saw me.

"Good afternoon, everyone. Princess Bubblegum is—is—" His cool voice couldn't get out the rest of his sentence as his eyes laid on me. He leaned really close to Finn, and under his breath he asked, "Finn, is she—"

"No, she's not my long lost twin. We don't know who she is, but she's got this crazy awesome story and this grunged up mirror that PB might know something about. Can you tell us where she is, Pep Butler?" PB? That must be Princess Bubblegum that the butler mentioned earlier. And Pep Butler must be short for Peppermint Butler, because in my world, he was Peppermint Maid.

Peppermint Butler just nodded, trying his best to regain his calm disposition, turned on his heel, and led us to where, in my world, the lab would be. Even with my eyes glued to all of the exact same fixtures, architecture, paint, and décor that were in my world's candy palace, I was still able to keep up with everyone as we were led to Princess Bubblegum. I don't know if anyone noticed, but I really knew my way around.

Pep Butler led us to a set of wooden double doors with hazy looking glass in their centers, so that from the outside we could make out the shape of a very pink person in a very white lab coat. He opened them up and led us inside, intending to introduce us all.

"Your highness, you have some visi—"

"Peppermint Butler! Thank glob you're here! Hurry, I need you to go to the garden and pick two bundles of rainwax root, immediately! The chemical reaction won't be as potent if we wait too long." The woman stood with her back to us, hunched over a table covered in vials with all kinds of colorful bubbly stuff in them. She had long pink hair bundled into a messy, hasn't-seen-sunlight-in-days bun. This _had_ to be Prince Gumball. Even though he kept extremely good care of his hygiene—especially his hair—there was no one else in this twisted little world that could copy his strange and intense mannerisms like this woman did. This was just like how Gumball acts when he's baking.

Peppermint Butler sighed and said, "Yes, right away Madame. But, before I go, I—"

She turned her head violently to stare him down, her goggles slightly steamed up from the sweat she was producing. "I don't have time for any—" She stopped midsentence as soon as her eyes met mine. She _had_ to be Gumball. Their eyes were the same shade of bright pink.

Her mouth hung slightly open as she gawked at me, turning her body so she could get a better view. In her hand she held a triangular shaped vial with a bright red liquid in it, red fumes seeping out of the top. "Wh—who are you?"

Her utter amazement left me blushing a little. All of the attention of looking like Finn made me really uncomfortable. "I'm Fionna. Fionna the Human."

"The… human?" She stood there, wide-eyed and bewildered as I squirmed under her gaze.

_CRASH!_

Princess Bubblegum dropped the vial, breaking her from her staring fit. She glanced down at the now-bubbling floor and screamed, "Everyone get down! Now!"

We all hit the floor and covered our heads, and within moments there was a loud, earth-shattering explosion that took out all of the glass, both in the vials and in the windows and doors. I didn't feel a thing, though, other than the force of the explosion.

When I looked up from under my arm, I noticed that everything was exactly the same, except for all the glass. What the junk just happened?

Everyone began to stand up slowly, brushing the dust off of their clothes, like they were used to this sort of thing. I was last to get up, trying my best not to be as freaked out as I was.

"I'm sorry about that, everyone," Bubblegum said as she wiped off her lab coat. "I was working on a new mixture to repair glass instantly, but it seems so far all I've been able to do is make a compound that destroys glass. I'll have to start over."

"No worries, PB. We're all good here," Finn said, a blush grazing his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his head.

She smiled sweetly at him, a blush dusting her cheeks, too. There was obviously something going on here, but I wasn't entirely sure what.

Marceline broke the strange silent with a loud _Hmph!_ "What's the deal, Bonnibell?" She sounded like she was trying to hold back some sort of anger, completely charging the room instantly with tension.

Jake tried to cool the situation by saying, "Yeah, PB, you alright?"

PB just glared at Marceline for a few moments, but the turned to me and said, "I was momentarily distracted by Fionna. Finn, I didn't know you had a sis—"

"I'm _not_ his sister! I came from another dimension that is the exact same but complete opposite of this one!" I burst out, trying to get my story out before one more person called me Finn's sister.

"An alternate universe, you say?" Bubblegum's face twisted into something between confusion and intrigue.

"Well, I didn't say that, but I guess so. I came here looking for help, alright?" I let my gaze fall on each and every one of them as they slowly began to focus all of their attention on me.

"I see. Come, everyone. Let's go to the sitting room so Fionna can tell us her story." Bubblegum didn't even wait for an agreement, she just headed past us, out the doors, and down the hall to where the glass-dome sitting room was.

We all piled in, except for Peppermint Butler—who, if he was anything like Peppermint Maid—had lost interest in this long ago. I sat in an arm chair in the back of the room, facing all of the other furniture, so that I could see everyone when I talked. I saw all of these people in my mirror, there was a reason for me meeting them, right?

One by one they all sat down, Jake and Finn on a couch, Marceline taking up a love seat to herself, and Bubblegum sitting in another arm chair next to the love seat. You could almost see the electricity between them.

"Please, Fionna, tell us your story. I'm fascinated by your claims," Bubblegum said, looking at me with scientific observation.

"Yeah! We want to hear about The Seeress!" Finn interjected, excitement written all over his face.

"The Seeress? Fionna, did you see The Seeress, and live?" Bubblegum's calm composure went completely tense at the name of the mountain witch.

"Hold on, guys, let me get to that! There's a whole other story to tell before I get to her." I was starting to feel overwhelmed because of my association with The Seeress.

"Yeah, guys, calm down. Let her talk." Marceline had that I-don't-care face on again, but at least the unphased demeanor calmed me down a little.

"Thanks, Marceline," I nodded to her, then focused my gaze on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "I'm Fionna the Human, from the land of Aaa. I have a sister, named Cake. She's a cat, with magic stretching and growing powers, and her parents found me abandoned when I was a baby." Jake and Finn looked questioningly at each other. I guess if we looked so similar, maybe our stories were similar, too. "In my world, I'm the hero. I fight monsters and save people, like, every day. And I love it! It's my favorite thing ever to do! But, over a year ago, I got… _involved_… with two men. Marshall Lee, the Vampire King, and Prince Gumball of the Candy Kingdom."

As if tension wasn't already high enough, it was like suddenly no one could look at each other. Everything was very, very uncomfortable. "Marshall Lee has been trying to avoid his mother for almost a thousand years, because she's determined to get him to take over the Nightosphere in her place. And Prince Gumball, well, he loves his kingdom and his people, but the council told him that if he doesn't marry by the age of 25, he forfeits the kingdom to Lemon Grab, this strange and harsh woman he made from his own genes years ago." Everyone gasped at once, like I had said something totally shocking. I ignored it though, and kept going.

"I don't know how, but I fell in love with both of them. Gumball asked me to be the one he marries, telling me that if he had to marry, he couldn't imagine a better queen for his people than me. So, after talking with Marshall about it, I said yes. They managed to come to an agreement to let me love who I want, so long as they can love who they want, without any kind of restrictions. At first, being with the two of them was beyond difficult, because they couldn't be in the same room without wanting to kill each other. But, after a year of working it out, they came to a point of not just tolerance, but reconciliation." My cheeks went hot as I thought about the first time the three of us were together on our anniversary, but my memories were interrupted by the strange energy in the room. They all watched me, totally entranced by my story, but still completely aware of everyone else there.

"Then I did something stupid. I fell for a trap set up for me by the Ice Queen and Marshall's mom, Hannah Abadeer. They trapped me and Cake in this magic box that vaporized anything that touched the walls. When Marshall and Gumball found out, they came after me. That's where it all went wrong. The trap wasn't just for me and Cake. We were just bait."

I could tell that now I had everyone's attention, so I kept going. "Ice Queen knew about the wedding predicament Prince Gumball was in, and she knew that I said yes to his proposal a year ago. She made a contract with Hannah that if Hannah had trapped me and designed a contract to get Gumball to marry her, then Hannah could have the penguin Gunter. But Hannah had other plans. She had a contract for Marshall, forcing him to take over the Nightosphere. If either of them didn't sign their contracts, I would be obliterated. So, they signed."

I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I thought about it again, about how I had gotten us all into this mess. But the sorrow-filled gazes of the people around me reminded me that I hadn't lost yet. "In an effort to give us more time, Marshall signed away his rights to the upper world in order for the three of us to have 2 months together, to enjoy our time before we were all separated for life. The contract also gave me Hannah's explicit protection from anything and anyone."

Marceline looked away from me, her eyes filled with regret. Bubblegum and Finn looked either at the floor or in their laps, avoiding eye contact. I had hit a chord. "Gumball and Marshall had given up on the chance to free themselves. They thought that the contracts couldn't be broken, but I wasn't going to give up. I sought out The Seeress."

Finn automatically perked up, his face brightening with anticipation. I laughed a little, knowing full well how much this was eating him up. "I won't say much about her, because I think she stays private for a reason. But, she did give me this mirror, and some riddles to decipher. She told me, '_If she wants a change she must arrange to visit a land both similar and strange_'. That's this land, Ooo. The mirror she gave me sent me here. Whatever I need to break the contracts is here, in your world."

I held the mirror out to the awe-struck Bubblegum, waiting for her to notice it. I cleared my throat, and her glazed eyes snapped out of it as she took the mirror from me.

"This is so _fascinating_ Fionna! This mirror, your story, all of it! I had done some research on other dimensions years ago, but I never found any evidence pointing to an exact and opposite replica of Ooo. How wonderfully strange this is!" Bubblegum twisted and turned the mirror over and over in her hands, observing it, feeling it, even smelling it. "I must take this to the lab! Do you mind if I keep it for a few hours to test it?"

I had to chuckle at her excitement. She had the same face Gumball had when he discovered a new recipe for his baking. "Please, take it! Anything you can tell me would be mathematical!"

"And the advances this will make in science! The possibilities!" She kept mumbling these little outbursts of scientific joy as she stood up and walked out, her eyes completely focused on the mirror. I smiled after her, but as she left, I noticed that not everyone was feeling as upbeat as she was.

"Did I… hit a nerve or something?" I asked to the room, hoping that if I just put some sort of question out there, someone would answer.

"Your world is just so… _similar_… is all. It's no big deal." Finn didn't look at me as he spoke, he just kept his eyes down and stood up. "I think we should pay a visit to the Ice King. You said your Ice Queen was behind all of this, so maybe if we talk to him, he might know something about what's going on."

"I don't want to see that old geezer right now. I'm not in the mood," Marceline announced, visibly pushing back her discomfort to regain her cool composure. "Fionna can hang at my place tonight when you guys get back. I'm going to go home. I feel like talking to my dad." And with that, she just floated past me and out of the window, her umbrella already out and ready to travel. I looked after her, wondering why my story put everyone but Bubblegum in such a sour mood.

"Don't mind her, Fionna. She's got some mad whack issues to sort out. We'll take you to the Ice King!" Jake, once again, was trying to diffuse the heavy hearted situation.

I turned and smiled at him, thankful for his positivity. "Thanks Jake. I appreciate it."

"Yeah! Time for an adventure! Let's get going!" It was as if Jake's small statement completely changed the mood Finn had in an instant. Just like Cake can do for me. It was like looking in a mirror of my life as a boy.

I joined in with their excitement, ready to leave this castle and explore the rest of Ooo, even though I already knew what it looked like. Still, the possibilities of seeing people I knew in Aaa were amazing.

Finn ran over and grabbed my hand, Jake running past us and out the same window Marceline went out. Together we darted after him, and without thinking, we jumped over the balcony railing, landing on the soft, waiting fur of Jake the Dog.


	9. Chapter 9: Chilled

Riding Jake was just as much fun as riding Cake, and talking with Finn was algebraic! It's like, when do you ever get to have a conversation with your other self? It was way cool. We talked about our adventures, our childhood, our friends. He told me about all of the princesses he saves on a daily basis and all the trouble the Ice King makes. I told him about the princes that can't stay out of trouble, and how terribly evil Ice Queen is. The whole time we talked, I was really careful not to mention my relationship with Marshall and Gumball, and not to ask him about Marceline and Bubblegum. I didn't want to stop the roll we were on.

"So, the Ice King… he's not completely evil?" I asked, still trying to wrap my head around an Ice Anything that wasn't evil.

"Nah, not really. He's super annoying, and he doesn't respect the personal space of the princesses, but he's just a lonely old man. We tolerate him for the most part. His only real _friend_ friend is Marcy," Finn answered, as if he was briefing me on our next mission.

"Did Ice King take care of Marceline during the Mushroom Wars?" I asked, throwing it out there.

Finn turned to me in surprise, his mouth agape. "How—how did you know that?"

I looked out at the icy horizon we were rapidly approaching. "Marshall Lee and the Ice Queen had the same history. She was Sam Petrikov back then, and to him, she meant everything. He even signed a contract with his mother to keep her safe, despite the fact that she lost her mind to the tiara."

"Marcy didn't mention anything about a contract… I wonder if her dad does any of that jazz…" Finn let his thoughts wander on that as I thought back to that conversation I had with Marshall.

"Hey dude and dudette! We have arrived at Casa De La Creep!" Jake joked, gradually shrinking as we reached the door-type thing at the top of the icy mountain. The two of them seemed completely at ease here, like they come here all the time. I just shivered, chilled to the bone. I don't think it was all due to the cold, though.

We marched inside, Finn and Jake acting like they owned the place. "Hey Ice King! We got a beef with you, man!" Finn shouted.

"Whaaaaat? I didn't do anythiiiiing!" an old, raspy voice whined. The owner of the voice walked out from behind a wall of ice, trudging towards us. This had to be Ice King. He had the same white hair and blue skin as Ice Queen, and that crown! It was like a larger replica of the tiara that sent crazy vibes through its wearer, and his beard was obnoxiously long. Like, to the point where I was surprised that he wasn't tripping on it.

As he walked towards us, I saw what Finn meant when he said that the Ice King wasn't evil. He was just… tormented. And lonely. I couldn't see him actually _trying_ to hurt someone, though. He had a gentle air about him, like he had good intentions but really poor execution.

"We know. We came here to ask you some questions." Finn's voice was calm and friendly, a total opposite of what it was a moment ago.

"Oh. Hey! Come to have some bro bonding time, guys? Eh? Eh?" Ice King just walked right past me, totally oblivious to there being a fourth person there. He walked up to Finn and nudged him with his boney elbow as he talked.

"Duuuuude we're not even all bros! We have Fionna with us!" Jake said through tight lips as if he were trying to keep it from me, nodding his head in my direction as Ice King looked at him confused.

When Ice King finally turned towards me, he jumped up and gasped. "There's TWO OF YOU?! Oh come on! This is so unfair!"

"Well, at least he didn't say we were siblings, or that I stole your face," I said to Finn, watching Ice King's minor freak out.

"No no no, I'm a wizard! I know when someone isn't from our universe. Wow Finn, you are _smokin_' as a girl. You should be a girl more often, bro." I blushed out of frustration and held my hand back from slapping him. Finn blushed too, but not out of anger.

"Uh… yeah. Thanks, Ice King," Finn said nervously.

"So Ice King! Since you know there are other dimensions, maybe you could help us out. Fionna here came from a place called Aaa, which sounds like an alternate and parallel universe. In her universe, your stinky butt is this evil ice witch lady who forced Fionna's boy toy into a contract of marriage. Know anything about that?" Jake intervened, getting to the point.

Ice King stroked his beard for a minute, contemplating. "Hmm, well I can guarantee that I am probably one attractive female. Other than that, I got nothing, guys. Sorry."

"Well what about contracts? Do you know anything about them?" I asked, feeling a little desperate. His was the last face I saw in the mirror before I was sucked into this world. He had to be important. Or helpful. Right?

"Not really. I mean there are some wizards who use them here in Ooo, and once you sign them you're pretty much a goner. You say your Ice Queen had contract magic?" he asked me, curiosity in his eyes.

"Erm, well no. Hannah Abadeer, the ruler of the Nightosphere made the contract."

Ice King contemplated what I told him for a few moments, then answered, "Well, if it's Nightosphere magic, then there's really no way to get out of it. That's shadow magic. Not even evil wizards touch that stuff. The only person who can really break the contract is the person who wrote it."

"I know that already! I just… I'm sorry," I said, feeling angry with myself. This wasn't getting me anywhere. I took a deep breath and tried again, calm and collected. "I need to know how to break the contracts without hurting anyone or getting anyone killed."

"Contracts? You mean there's more than one?" he asked, more than a bit surprised. Shocked was a great word to describe his tone and face.

"Um… yeah. There's three contracts that I need to break," I answered nervously, not really sure how to react to him.

"Wow, honey! One contract is bad enough, but three? You're in big trouble now!" I slapped my hand to my face, frustration overcoming me. He was no help. The others have been no help. My only option was to see if Bubblegum came up with anything.

"How did you get here?" Ice King asked.

"Through a portal in a mirror that now looks like it's been decaying for hundreds of years. The Seeress gave it to me," I answered flatly, not in the mood to retell my story.

"The Seeress you say? Well that's quite an honor young lady! The Seeress doesn't like people. She likes me a little, but not much. She usually snaps her fingers and sends me home after a few minutes."

"Wait, _you_ know The Seeress, Ice King? What the junk!" Finn pushed himself between us, determined to get details.

"Well yeah, all powerful wizards know each other! I mean no one's as powerful as her, but some of us know her." I could tell the Ice King felt proud, getting Finn to be jealous like that. "With The Seeress, there's always a trick. She sent you here for a reason, Fionna. And usually, what you expect to be your answer is way wrong. You said she gave you a mirror, right? What did you see in the mirror?"

I thought about it for a moment, remembering all of the faces I saw. "Well, first I saw myself, but then my face changed into Finn's face. Then I saw Marceline, and Princess Bubblegum, and Jake… and you…"

"And _me_? Well baby, I don't know if these two fools told you, but I'm single!" He crept up close to me, about to wrap his decrepit arm around my shoulders. I dodged the hug/grope easily and stood close to Finn. He really didn't understand the meaning of personal space.

"Hey man, don't be gross!" Finn shouted, scooting in front of me.

"What? She's hot! And just my type!" Ice King shouted back.

I scooted out from behind Finn and stood my ground. "I'm flattered, Ice King, but I'm also taken."

"Aw, what a let down!" he whined, looking slightly disappointed. "Well, at any rate, I think the people you saw in the mirror should go back with you. One of them holds the answer you need. Or all of them. You can never tell with that crazy Seeress!" He chuckled to himself at his own inside joke. The guy really was a creeper, but he wasn't mean. He was so completely opposite of the Ice Queen that I had to question if they really were the same person.

"Well, it's the best lead we got so far. But just in case, we should check to see what PB came up with. Do you think she's done with all her science stuff now, Jake?" Finn asked to his brother.

"You know it, man! This place is creepin' me out anyway, dude. We should go," Jake said, already heading towards the entrance.

For a few minutes I just stood there, completely out of place, like a ghost in their world. I knew I had a time limit. I knew Marshall and Gumball were in danger. I knew that I was wasting time by just watching them. Even so, I found it fascinating. Fascinating that, in my world, if I came anywhere near the Ice Queen or her home without the intention of kicking her butt, we would have torn each other apart by now. She was a lonely woman, and that I knew, but she wasn't lonely like the Ice King. She was straight up insane, ready to kill and steal and poison whenever she had the chance. I had to wonder, if all of us were so alike, why was it that her and the Ice King were so different?

I watched the three of them interact, observing their connections to each other. It was so surreal to see these people, to know them and their stories through people I've known my whole life, but to also understand that they're completely separate from my world. Ice King, Finn and Jake had this strange sort of relationship, where Finn and Jake would poke fun at the Ice King, try to keep him in check, while the Ice King pretended they were the best of friends. Maybe to everyone else, the Ice King seemed to be creepy and annoying, and not worth the time of day, but to me, he was just a lonely old man who wanted some sort of companionship. I saw it plain as day as the three of them argued about him coming with us to the Candy Kingdom.

"Fionna, are you coming? It's getting pretty late. We should probably see what PB came up with before taking you to Marcy's tonight." Finn's voice interrupted my thoughts, my philosophical pondering. When I looked at them again, they were all standing there, waiting for me to reply.

"Oh! Heh heh, yeah, sorry. Let's go see what PB says." Even to me I sounded out of whack. The three of them just looked at me funny, but accepted my acknowledgement of the situation and continued with their fun-poking and mock bickering. I guess the Ice King was coming with us.

"Hey, Fionna, if you don't want to ride with flea bag over here, you're more than welcome to fly with me," Ice King said, winking at me with a huge smile on his face.

That was it. He just broke my concentration completely. I started laughing so hard that I slipped on the ice and fell on my butt, and even then I kept laughing. I laughed until I was out of air. I laughed until there were tears streaming down my face. Out of all of the stress and hardship and confusion, after battling the Ice Queen and knowing her as the root of all evil for so long, this man, this poor, lonely man, broke every expectation I had for him.

My laughter rang out through his empty ice castle, bouncing off the walls, vibrating through the rooms. It infected the others, and they started laughing, too. Even the Ice King laughed with us. And for that single moment in time, the eerie loneliness that crept through his home had vanished and was replaced with joy and companionship. The chill had melted away.


	10. Chapter 10: Differences

"So did Bonnibell find anything out about your mirror?" Marceline asked as she set out some sheets for me on the couch. It was probably somewhere around 11 o'clock and Finn, Jake, Ice King and I finally finished our investigation through Bubblegum's science.

I sighed deeply, pulling my bunny hat off and detangling the knots in my hair. "No, not really. She said all she could find was that the mirror was over a thousand years old, and was probably some sort of relic from before the wars. I just don't understand how, even though everything else is completely parallel to my world, the mirror is the exact opposite. And the Ice King…"

I let my thoughts wander a bit, not really meaning to say that last part out loud. I felt her gaze on me as I finished unknotting my hair and pulling my stockings off. "What… what about the Ice King?" she asked, sounding a little bit uneasy.

I sat on the seriously uncomfortable red couch and crossed my legs, playing with my hair so I didn't have to fully focus on her prying eyes. "He's just… different from my world. In my world, the Ice Queen is straight up evil. Yeah, she's lonely like him, and her mind was taken over by some old world relic like his was, but he's just… I don't know…"

"Pathetic?" she offered. I had to smile up at her. There couldn't have been a more accurate statement.

"Yeah, actually. He's pretty pathetic. But in a good way, I guess."

She let out a chuckle and floated to sit next to me. "Yeah, me and the old man have a long history together. That's the only reason I put up with him. I think sometimes that's the only reason Finn and Bonnibell put up with him, too."

"I think you're really lucky, to be able to keep him as close as your sanity will let you. In my world, Ice Queen protected and cared for Marshall Lee until the day the tiara took her over. But once she went bad, she went _bad_. Not even Marshall can get close to her without her trying to kill him or manipulate him." I hugged my knees to my chest, suddenly aching to see him again, to hold him and to comfort him. "You know, I think if things work out, you and Marshall would get along really well. I think I'd like to take him and Gumball here one day, to meet everyone."

Marceline had a distant look in her eye as she listened, a smile playing on her lips. "That would be a total trip, seeing me as a guy."

We sat there silently for a minute, pondering the future and the past, and wondering about the present. "Hey, Fionna, if you don't mind me getting personal… how did you work things out between them? Between Marshall and Gumball, I mean. I just… I just can't imagine that working, y'know?"

I buried my face in my knees for a moment and thought about how I would answer her. For some reason, it struck me that this was more than just a question about my love life. "Well, I'm not sure how it happened, really. I think what did it was my resolve, my decision to accept whatever they would be comfortable with. Marshall and I agreed to be friends with benefits, no strings or emotions attached. He and I did the flirty friend thing really well, and I didn't want to change that. But then… then Gumball came at me with his proposal, and I didn't know what to do. I had some crazy feelings for the guy for _years, _and when he told me that if he needed to marry, it would have to be me, well… what was I supposed to do? At first I told him no. I mean, that's so out of this world, to just friend-zone me for years and then suddenly ask me to marry him. And I had to think about my feelings for Marshall. But then he apologized and said he was willing to do things my way. So I told him that I wanted to be with him, but I wanted to be with Marshall too, and that I didn't want to be held down with expectations and limits. I always thought jealousy was so petty and unnecessary. The miracle was that they both kind of agreed to it."

I looked at Marceline for a moment, wondering where she was in her head. Without moving, without even blinking, she asked, "What about Marshall? What did he do?"

I thought about it for a second. "Marshall was more difficult than Gumball. Gumball had never been with anyone before, and since he was dead set on making me queen, he was willing to do whatever I wanted to do. But Marshall needed convincing. I told him what I told Gumball, that I didn't want restrictions or anything. At first he took it really hard, throwing me this bogus story about him screwing his ex again just for fun. It hurt, but it made me realize why he felt the way he did. So we talked about it. I gave him total freedom to love who he chose, because love should never be conditional, and it should never be stunted by boundaries. We talked about how I felt that love and possession were two different things, and that I wanted to love him, not possess him. I guess after thinking about it in a new light, he thought that it was a pretty good way to have a relationship."

Marceline pulled her knees up too and rested her chin on her crossed arms. "So do they, you know… get along now?"

"At first they didn't. I had to micromanage my time between them so it never felt like I was sacrificing time with one for time with another. But then, when I got us all into that mess, I guess things changed between them. You see, when they were kids—or at least when Gumball was sort of a kid—they were really good friends. Best friends. That's how they explained it to me, anyway. I think they were more than that. I think they loved each other back then. Everything changed when Gumball's parents died, and he had to assume the role of the prince of the kingdom. Things were lost in translation, and Gumball became cold to Marshall. For Marshall, it was like reopening a healing wound. Gumball was the first person he cared about since Sam. From that point on, they acted as enemies."

Telling Marceline gave me time to really sit back and think about everything that's changed between the three of us since this all began. "Now, they love each other like they love me. I thought it would be weird, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, love is love no matter what form it's in—and I'm seriously not one to judge—but the thought of my lovers loving each other was strange. Especially because I only ever knew them as enemies to each other. But when we're together, things are just… magical…"

My thoughts trailed off again as I became wrapped up in the memories, the sensations of being with them. A sniffle from beside me broke my concentration, and I looked at Marceline with concern written all over my face.

"Sorry, I don't mean to mess up your story. It's just… it's crazy how similar our worlds are…" She avoided eye contact with me, keeping her gaze directed at the wall or the floor.

"Do you… do you want to talk about it?" I asked gently, knowing that if she was anything like Marshall, I needed to be careful with how I worded things.

She sighed and wiped her face on her arm, still trying to not let me see her sadness. "There's not really much to talk about. After Finn left Flame Princess, he and I sort of hit it off for a bit. Things were going great until Bonnibell stuck her nose where it didn't belong. I mean, Finn and I never had any titles or anything, so it's not like I had a claim to him or something. But, because I didn't make him mine while I had the chance, he drifted over to her. It just… I don't know…"

I could tell she was giving up. Talking about it was hard for her. I could only imagine how she felt. How would I have felt if Marshall drifted back to Ashley after we got together? Or if Gumball found another princess after me? It would hurt. "It's not just Finn, though, is it Marcy?"

She sat silent for a minute, now letting the tears run down her face freely. "No. It's not. Bonni and I had almost the _same_ relationship that Marshall and Gumball had. To think about how eerily close our universes match up is just… _wow_. I was looking to pester the new princess in town that rainy night, but what I found was a scared little girl who couldn't handle the darkness. So, I showed her another side to the dark, and in return, she showed me another side to the light. I never told anyone this, but… I _loved_ her. As she got older, I realized that she meant more to me than a secret friend. She was the first girl I ever kissed, the first person I ever loved since Simon. But when she had to be the ruler of the Candy Kingdom, she just didn't have time for me anymore. She couldn't love me anymore. I was just her monstrous little secret."

I smiled at her, even though she wasn't smiling back, and leaned over to wrap my arms around her. At first she was stiff under my weight, but after my warmth had covered her, she began to relax. "You know, Marcy, I bet if you talk to them about this stuff, things would be different. If we can find a happy medium between the three of us in Aaa, there's no reason you can't do it here in Ooo."

"I don't know, Fionna. Finn has a lot of choices as far as women go. Bonni has a lot of choices in princes, too. What's more is that they chose each other over me. They're supposed to be getting married in a few months, so Bonnibell can complete her terms with the council." I felt the sadness radiating off of her. She didn't feel the need to act tough around me like Marshall did. Maybe she was just tired of holding it all in.

"Maybe Finn and Bubblegum chose each other out of duty to the Candy Kingdom. I know that's why I agreed to marry Gumball. But just because I agreed to marriage doesn't mean I don't love Marshall just the same, and that goes for Gumball as well. If the three of us get out of these contracts alive, the first thing we're doing is moving in together, and announcing to the kingdom that we are a set, not a couple, and we're happy that way." My heart raced as I spoke, thinking of a warm and rosy future with my two kings. It made me happy to think of what was to come in the best way possible. When I had moments like those, I held onto them tightly before reality set in again.

Marceline's bright red eyes peered out from behind her long black hair, the tears still dribbling down her face. She gave me a kind smile and sat up straight, breaking my hold on her. "You're a pretty badass chick, Fionna of Aaa. I don't know if I'll ever be able to have the two people I love together, but I'm sure as hell not going to let you lose yours. I'm going to kick your Ice Queen's butt all the way to the next universe over for messing with someone as rock awesome as you."

I knew what she was doing. She was shutting me out. She already accepted that she wasn't going to be with Finn or Bubblegum, and she was going to make the best of that. It broke my heart to think of her, holed up in this lonely house, thinking about the two of them happy together in the Candy Palace without her. But, if she was done talking about it, I wouldn't push her.

Her eyes shifted again, that same darkness that Marshall was plagued with peeking out for a moment. "You're just like him, Fionna." Then, with amazing quickness and speed, she gave me a small peck on my lips. The kiss was quick and cool, her fangs grazing my lips gently, before she broke off and darted up to her bedroom. As I sat there, stunned and dazed at what just happened, she called from the top floor, "See you in the morning, Princess!" and closed her door.

So many thoughts ran through my head. Was that kiss meant for me? Was it meant for Finn? Maybe it was meant for Bubblegum? Why did I like it so much? Was it because she reminded me so much of Marshall?

My head spun around, making me dizzy with thoughts of something that took less than 2 seconds of my life.

_Don't think so much on it, Fionna. Don't get deeper than you already are. Focus_.

The inner voice took over my thoughts as I laid my head on the couch arm, trying my best to calm myself down.

I didn't have to try hard. Within minutes my total exhaustion set in, and I passed out.


	11. Chapter 11: Shatter

Nothing else happened between Marceline and I for the next 2 weeks. Nothing else really happened with anything, actually. As hard as we tried, no one could figure out what to do with the mirror, and no one could decipher The Seeress's riddles. Ice King couldn't get ahold of her, either. As each day passed, the future looked more dark and grim for Aaa.

I had 37 days left. A little over a month.

"Awe, come on, Fionna! Don't look so sad. We'll figure this out!" As usual, Jake was trying to lighten the mood. Him, Finn and I all went on this mathematical quest 2 days ago, and had just come back to the tree house, which reminded me of how much I missed Marshall and Gumball and Cake and everyone in Aaa.

"I'm not sad, Jake. I'm just… disappointed in myself." I twirled a strand of my blonde hair in my fingers as I spoke, trying not to make eye contact. The truth of the matter was that I _was_ sad. I was _very_ sad. I wanted to go home, to be with my men, to spend time with my sister. The longer I stayed here, the more I understood why everyone else wanted to pretend that everything was awesome for the last few days we had together, and the more I regretted not giving proper goodbyes.

"Jake's right, Fi. We'll get this! Peebles is coming over later with a new scientific whatsit and Marcy said her dad gave her this spell or something to cast on the mirror. Even Ice King is looking heavy into it. You've got all of Ooo helping you out!" Finn's face was bright and full of childish wonder. I think at one point my face looked like that, until I had to go and mess it all up.

I smiled sheepishly at him, suddenly aware of how grateful I should be. "You guys are right. I'm sorry for being such a bummer. I just miss Aaa, you know? I miss my sister, and Marshall and Gumball. I even miss kicking the Ice Queen's butt!" I chuckled a little, hoping that throwing in that last bit would take attention away from my sad mood. It didn't work.

Finn and Jake looked at me with concern on their faces, Finn's face looking a little more hurt than anything. "You're not going to lose them, Fionna. We're going to stop Hannah and the Ice Queen, and you can be with your men again. I promise." The look in Finn's eye, the sheer determination, the heroic ambition… it really got to me.

"Thanks, Finn." I gave him a weak smile, a blush sort of pooling on my cheeks.

"Now now, Finn, you know better than to go on seducing all the pretty ladies in Ooo. The same goes for the ladies from Aaa." Marceline's musical, seductive voice rang out from the window behind us as she floated in, closing her umbrella. Her statement didn't really help my blushing situation.

"You know I can't help it, Marcy. I'm just surrounded by some gorgeous women! What am I supposed to do?" Finn and Marcy had this connection as they flirted, like they didn't even know they were doing it, or like they forgot they chose not to be together.

It was quiet as they smiled at each other, lost in their gazes. I didn't want to ruin the moment, but I could almost feel each second go from the present to the past. I cleared my throat and said, "Hey, Marcy! Did you find anything out about the mirror?"

Their gazes fell, and suddenly an air of discomfort floated throughout the room, like they remembered that they needed to be friends and nothing more. "Well, my dad gave me this reverse time spell thing, but it only works to reverse aging or something. We can try it, but I don't know if it'll do any good."

She pulled out a slip of paper, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and said, "Hold out the mirror in front of me. I'll read the enchantment."

I did as she asked, standing up in front of her with the mirror laid gently in both of my hands. She took another deep breath, then began to cite strange worlds from some lost language. They sounded terrifying coming from her melodic voice, but even so, I couldn't help but stare at her as she chanted.

The mirror started glowing, changing right before my eyes. Within seconds the grungy, dirty old mirror suddenly became cleaner, shinier, and easier to see into. The changing process stopped when she finished chanting, and even after all of that, the mirror was still far too old looking to be the one from my world.

I let out a deep sigh and looked into the speckled mirror, observing the dark bags under my blue eyes, the downward curve of my lips, and the fading tones of my skin. "Thanks, Marcy, but this isn't how it was when I got it. It does look better, though."

"We still got Peeble's potion thingy, Fionna. And Ice King might have found something," Finn said, laying a broad hand on my shoulder.

"Oh! That reminds me! I saw the Ice King on my way here. He told me to tell you guys to meet him at the entrance to the Fire Kingdom. He said he might have come up with something about the riddle," Marceline offered, looking less disappointed in her spell.

"Algebraic! The old man might not be so useless after all! Let's get going!" The excitement in Finn's face was enough to lift even the heaviest of hearts, and Marcy and I both smiled warmly at him, ready to follow him in all his heroic glory.

"You guys go, man. I'm going to get Lady and Peebles and meet you there." With that, Jake stretched and slinked out the window, already on his way to the Candy Kingdom.

"You heard the mutt! Let's get our butts in gear!" Marcy announced. It was like the excitement was spreading, touching everyone's hearts. I wondered to myself why now, of all times, did this make us all feel hopeful.

I guess we had to wait and find out.

* * *

The walk to the Fire Kingdom was… awkward, to say the least. Finn and Marceline kept to either side of me, not wanting to be too close to each other. No one said a word, but both of them stole glances at each other from time to time. It was like, when it was just them, they couldn't handle the others' company.

I tried to break the silence and start up a conversation. "So… Ice King… do you guys think his information is good?"

It was silent for a moment as we walked, as if the two of them were waiting for the other to answer. "It's worth a shot," Marcy said, short and simple.

"Yeah," Finn agreed.

I sighed. So much for my breaking-the-ice plan. We continued on in that awkward state for more than a little bit, going almost an hour without saying a word. Silence was okay from time to time. Everyone needed space to reflect and junk. But this was just maddening. It wasn't silence. It was a cold war.

Finally, I had enough. I stopped dead in my tracks, crossed my arms, and looked at them both. "That is enough, you two! I'm tired of all of this high-strung nonsense. You need to turn to each other, look them in the eye, and tell them how you feel. Now."

They both turned to me in bewilderment, as if they didn't know that, not only were they deliberately being awkward, but that I could tell they were being awkward.

"Fionna—" Finn tried.

"No, don't talk to me, talk to her. There's some bad feelings between you two, and that needs to get solved." I felt proud of myself for a moment, being able to stand up to them, for them. I felt like I had a chance to help them with their relationship.

"But Fi, we're here," Marcy pointed out. All of my pride went out the window as I finally noticed everyone was staring at me. Literally, everyone.

Ice King, Jake, Lady, Bubblegum… they were all looking at me like I was insane, and like I set a bomb off.

"No, you know what? I think she's right. I think we should get this out." Finn turned to Marceline, his stance grounded and ready for a fight.

She turned to him as well, planting her feet on the ground and crossing her arms. Bubblegum came up to them, her hands out and a worried look on her face. "Guys, this isn't the time. We're so close now! We just have to—"

"I have some things to say, Bonnibell. It can wait." The sheer power in Marceline's voice was enough to send shivers down my spine. She was definitely Ooo's Marshall. "Finn, does she know? Did you ever tell her? Or did you just leave me behind for her?"

"Tell me what?" Bubblegum asked, shocked and surprised.

"It's none of your business what she does and doesn't know, Marceline. It's in the past," Finn countered, his face hard and stern, unyielding.

"Well it's _my_ business, Finn. What don't I know?" Bubblegum walked up close to him, staring him in the face.

For a moment he kept his eyes glued on Marceline, but then dropped his gaze and took in a deep breath. "I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to be upset."

"Tell me _what—_Finn?" Anger was dripping from Bubblegums words as she spoke.

"He didn't tell you that Finn and I were a thing for a while, after he left Flame Witch," Marceline offered, since Finn was staying quiet.

"Don't call her that!" Finn shouted, growing angrier by the second.

"You and Marceline? Finn! Why didn't you tell me?" The anger was replaced with shock and hurtfulness. Bubblegum didn't seem offended that he had been with her, but hurt that he didn't tell her.

"Don't be so quick to judge him, Bonnibell. I get the feeling that you never told him about _us_ either." Marceline's tone was commanding and manipulative, as if she was a puppet master pulling their strings.

"You've got to be kidding me! When were you and Marcy together?!" Finn cried, looking as hurt and confused as Bubblegum did.

I watched them fight just a few feet away from me, wondering how it had come to this. Had I started this? Or was it already in motion? Did I just make it worse? No matter how it happened or what state it was in, this fight was going to continue until everything came out. I just knew it.

"When were _you_ and Marceline together is the real question here!" Bubblegum shouted back.

Finn's face went hot as he scowled at Marceline, upset with her for taking it this far.

"Don't you look at me, Finn. It's you two who made things this way," Marcy spat, adding her own two cents to the growing pile of discomfort.

"Don't think you're not a part of this, too Marceline. You're just as guilty as we are," Finn forced through his tight, angry lips. He glared at her, fists clenched and eyes glued to the angry vampire in front of him.

"How _dare_ you. After everything I've gone through! With you! With Bonnibell! And you _dare_ say _I'm_ the one who's guilty?" Marceline was seething now, breathing heavily, her body arched forward. "You're the one who made those choices. And you. Chose. _Wrong_."

That broke him. His anger had boiled over, and so did hers. Bubblegum, Jake, Lady, Ice King and I all watched helplessly as Finn lunged at Marceline, his fist ready to make contact, his eyes piercing with rage and hurt.

It all happened in slow motion. Finn made contact to her stomach, and Marceline made contact with his jaw. He went flying upwards, but then, as time sped up, upwards wasn't the only direction he was going. Before I had the chance to get out of the way, Finn slammed into me, forcing both of us to go flying into a wall of rocks.

We heard three sounds at once. The first was the aching groan coming from me and Finn. The second was a loud crashing, breaking sound coming from my backpack. Instantly my heart flipped, as I could only imagine one thing in there that was fragile enough to break on impact. The last sound was the sound of the air suddenly changing its current, piling itself into one single space right behind us.

Finn and I jumped up, anxious to see what had happened. From the look on the other's faces, it was clear that whatever we'd done, it was something to stare at. We turned together, the wind whipping in our faces, to find that somehow, through all of the trouble we caused and all the fighting that went down, we managed to open a portal. And not just any portal. This portal led straight to Aaa.

I took my backpack off, opened the front pocket, and hung the whole thing upside down. Out poured a million tiny shards of gold and glass, all of which at one point was my mirror.

_"When she is done and hearts she's won, the mirror will send them back as one. Burst on a rock the glass unlocks a portal to this world in shock."_

"That's it…" I mumbled, staring excitedly at the shattered mirror. "That's it! Burst on a rock the glass unlocks a portal to this world in shock! Breaking the glass was the key this whole time to getting back!" Tears poured down my face as my heart beat wildly in my chest. I could go home! I could see everyone again!

"Well yeah, that's what I brought you all here to tell you," Ice King said nonchalantly, as if he was waiting for this to happen before he told us he had figured it out. I was far too excited to be mad at him, or even to pay attention to him.

I turned to everyone, tears in my eyes and a smile bright on my face, clutching my backpack to my rapidly rising and falling chest. "The portal's open, guys! We can go to Aaa!"

Finn joined in my enthusiasm and turned to everyone else, too. "Alright everyone, you heard the lady! All aboard the portal to Aaa!"

Marceline floated towards us first, shooting a shy, apologizing glance at Finn before she stopped in front of me to give me a hug. When she pulled away, she smiled down at me and shouted, "Me first!" She darted into the portal, completely disappearing the moment she touched it.

Bubblegum went next, still angry with Finn, but completely distracted with the fact that a mirror had opened a portal. "This is _fascinating_ Fionna! I _need_ to study this!" Slowly, she reached her hand out to touch the portal, and just like Marceline, she disappeared.

Ice King didn't even bother with introducing himself to the portal like the others did. He just flew straight into it. I smiled after him, happy that everyone was so on board with going.

Jake turned to lady, said some things into her ear that made her laugh, and hugged her goodbye. "Lady's going to stay here, in case the pups need one of us. Come on dude and dudette! Let's get going!" Jake stretched straight into it, not even bothering to walk. He went head first, not caring about the repercussions, if there were any.

Finn turned to me, smiling with bright and shining enthusiasm. "You ready to go back home, Lady Finn?"

"More than ready, Sir Fionna," I replied, a big, toothy grin spreading across my face.

We held hands, and together we stepped into the portal, with the promise of everyone in Aaa waiting for us.


	12. Chapter 12: Welcome

When Finn and I stepped out of the portal into the fresh air of Aaa, I expected to feel a rush of comfort and hominess. Instead, we were greeted by the agonizing cries of the Ice King. The others were crowded around him as he writhed on the ground, holding his head and moaning in pain.

"What happened to him? Why is he acting like that?" I cried out, my entire focus now on the Ice King.

"We don't know! He just came through the portal and was about to say some stupid remark, then fell to his knees in pain. We don't know what to do!" Marcy answered, her hands above him as she tried desperately to think of a way to make him feel better.

"If I knew what the issue was, I could treat him. As far as I can tell, his pain is stemming from his head. Is there somewhere we can take him that's quiet and cool? Somewhere we can keep an eye on him?" Bubblegum didn't take her eyes off of him. She studied him with a quiet reserve, hoping to find out why the old man was in so much pain.

"Yeah, we can take him to my tree house. Jake, do you think you can carry us there? The quicker we get there I think the better things will be." I didn't know what else to do. Of course, as we were travelling through the airless vacuum of the portal, my thoughts were centered around bringing everyone to the palace to meet their counterparts, but this… this seemed much more important.

Within moments, Jake had stretched himself into a massive dog figure with stairs leading up to his back. Marcy picked up the Ice King as best she could and floated him to the top, where she sat with his head cradled in her lap. Everyone else, including me, ran up the yellow furred stairs and sat anxiously around the two of them as Jake took off.

"Say, uh, Fionna… Where am I going?" Jake asked, turning his massive head to look behind him at us.

"Now you guys get to see how I felt! This world is an exact replica of yours, so if we're close to the Fire Kingdom, where would the tree house be?"

"Ooooh, I get it!" Finn exclaimed. "Jake, just go the same way we would go to our house!"

"No probs, dude!" Jake said, quickening his pace.

We all sat there on the warm fur of the giant Jake dog, surrounding the Ice King as his pain seemed to lighten slightly with each step. Still, he writhed there in Marceline's lap, grasping at the parts of his head that didn't have the crown around it.

Wait.

"Hey Ice King, try taking the crown off! That might be what's hurting you!" I said, hoping to glob I was right.

"No—ngh—I can't… errgh—it's—it's—" The pain and suffering in his voice was too much for Marceline. In one quick swoop she pulled the crown off of his head and tossed it to me. Ice King tried to sit up and go after it, but after all of the pain he had just endured, coupled with the sudden movement of sitting up, he couldn't handle it. He fell back down, completely knocked out. He must have been in some serious hurt.

"I see. The crown was causing his pain. I wonder why that is…" Bubblegum speculated, pulling a notepad of paper and a pen from her pocket as she jotted down notes. I noticed Marceline glancing at her, an almost disgusted look on her face, but she bit her lip and concentrated on Ice King.

With his head in her lap, she gently stroked the long white hair around the balding blue scalp, as if she was trying to stroke the pain from his head. The gesture was so sweet and enduring that it made me consider where things might have gone for Marshall, had he and Ice Queen had a similar relationship.

Finn was sitting there quietly, looking out over the mirror-image landscape of his world, the wind blowing through his loose bear hat and blonde hair, his tight beard rustling slightly. I wondered where he was in all of this. Surely it had to be a shock to him, coming to this land not so unlike his own. I wondered if he had some sort of purpose here, other than helping me. Did any of them have a purpose here?

It suddenly hit me that, in all of the excitement, not one of us thought about how everyone else was going to get home. Would the portal stay open long enough for them to return once we fixed my problems? Or would we need to go see The Seeress again? Surely they couldn't all live here. That _had_ to mess up some sort of multidimensional timeline, right?

My thoughts dragged on for what seemed like centuries, until finally my concentration was broken by Jake shrinking his form and calling out, "We're here, everybody! Now get off!"

Finn and I slid off first, Marceline holding Ice King like a baby cradled in her arms and floating off of the dog. Bubblegum had a difficult time sliding off, and when Finn offered his arms to help her down, she just turned her face from him. So, instead, I held out my arms, and she accepted my gesture, sliding down Jake's side with my help. The hurt look on Finn's face was enough to know that the mirror wasn't the only thing that had shattered 20 minutes ago.

"Guys, give me a minute to talk to Cake. She's going to need some… briefing… before I bring you all in." I turned and rushed into the tree house, shouting her name as I ran.

I found her in the living room, sitting in the arm chair, her legs and arms crossed, her face full of stern resolve. "I see you've come home. Where have you been, Fionna?" Her voice was not only terrifying, but it was full of threat and malice. Obviously she had either got past the sorrow of me leaving, or completely skipped that part and went right into a rage.

"It's a super long story, Cake, and I'm really sorry I left you and Lord behind, but I'll have to tell you about it later. I have some people here who are going to try to help us! And, well… I don't really know how to describe them. You'll just have to meet them yourself." I didn't give her time to retaliate, I just ran over to hug her tightly, then hopped over to the window and shouted for everyone to come on up. Marceline floated in first with Ice King still passed out in her arms.

"Cake, meet Marceline, the Vampire Queen." I glanced at Cake as I directed Marcy towards the bedroom where she could lay the old man down.

"Fi! Is that… is that who I think it is?!" Cake stammered, totally aghast.

"Nope, it's not. But you're really close," I said, jogging over to the ladder to help PB up. "This is Princess Bubblegum, also not who you think she is, but also very close. And that handsome son-of-the-Lich is Finn, with his buddy, Jake." The three of them stood awkwardly in my living room, quietly introducing themselves to the dazed and confused Cake.

"They're all… they look… sweet babies! This is too much!" Cake mumbled, her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide.

"Cake, I went to another universe! And not just any universe! It was _our_ universe, but opposite! They live in Ooo. Finn is me, Jake is you, Bubblegum is Gumball, and Marceline is Marshall! Isn't that whacked?!" My excitement and enthusiasm bubbled over every word, my body having a hard time containing all of the energy.

"I must have gone insane. That's it. This is all a dream, and I'm going insane…" Cake started to wobble a bit, so I reached for her and held her in my arms.

"Cake, it's me, Fionna. And these people are all real. All of them."

As if a spark of electricity ran through her body, she jolted up, her tail frizzing up big and huge. "Then that means you brought the Ice Queen's doppelganger into our home! Fionna, what were you _thinking_?!" Cake cried, already on her way to take out the Ice King.

"Cake! No! It's not like that! Sure, they all look and act like us, but they've all got their own personalities and stories, too. The Ice King is just a lonely old man who doesn't know what personal space is. He's not evil, like Ice Queen. I promise. I spent the last 2 weeks getting to know the guy, and all of them, too."

Cake eyed me suspiciously, looking me up and down to see if I had any crazy to account for all of this. "So then why is he in our bedroom?"

PB stepped forward, ready to answer her question. "We're assuming that the crown he was wearing was causing him massive amounts of pain to his cranium. After we removed it, he passed out, but at least the pain wasn't getting to him. I requested we take him somewhere quiet for the time being so I could study his behavior."

Cake didn't answer her. Instead, she turned to me and whispered, "Fi, she's _just_ like PG! That is _insane_!"

"Well, if you don't mind, I'll excuse myself to the upper room of the tree house to look after him. Fionna, may I have his crown, please?" Bubblegum stated, putting on a tone of indifference to hide her annoyance.

I handed the crown to her and turned to Finn and Jake, who've been standing there quietly, looking over the house they knew as their home for a moment. Cake stared, wide-eyed at Jake, studying his dog-like features and relaxed demeanor. "So. You're supposed to be me, but from Ooo? Can you stretch, too?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"I sure can, little cat lady! You want to see?" Jake answered, more than a little excited.

"Uh… um… well… yeah, I guess… I could show you my powers, too…" Cake seemed a bit stunned, but agreed reluctantly nonetheless. They stretched together out the window, chatting between each other, asking questions and rejoicing in their similarities. It made me smile to watch her curiosity bloom with Jake around. After getting to know Jake the Dog the last couple of weeks, I thought that maybe the two of them could be friends, like me and Finn.

Everyone seemed to be settled now. Marcy and Bubblegum were looking after Ice King, Jake and Cake were having some sort of stretch-off competition, and Finn was… waiting… for something.

"So when are we going to explore Aaa?" he asked, burning anticipation glowing in his eyes.

"Whoah there, mister adventurer man! I've got some things to take care of first. Plus, it's getting late, and—"

"And you want to see Gumball and Marshall. It's cool, I totally get it. I'll stay here and keep everyone in check. No monsters getting in here tonight!" His boyish smile lit up his face, not even skipping a beat. I ran up to him and hugged him tightly, tears starting to threaten my eyes again.

"Thank you so much, Finn. I owe you and everyone else so much."

He wrapped his arms around my upper back and held me close to him. "You go and get your loves, Fionna," he whispered into my ear. With one last squeeze, I let go of him and darted down the ladder and out the door. Nothing would stand in my way of seeing them again.


	13. Chapter 13: Tease

I sprinted to the castle. My heart beat wildly in my chest and my breath tore through my lungs, but that didn't slow me down. I ran as fast as I could, partly fueled by homesickness, partly fueled by regret, and partly fueled by the need to see them again, to hold them again, to touch their smiling faces. More than anything in the world, I wanted to see them again, and I hoped they wanted to see me, too.

I ran past the front doors, ran past Peppermint Maid, past the ballroom and past the stairs, all while calling out their names. I didn't have to yell and run for long. I felt something hard crash into me, wrap around me, and lift me into the air, darting straight for the sitting room off of the main hall. I wasn't afraid, though. I knew what was happening.

Marshall wrapped his arms tightly around me, plunging his face into the nook of my neck as we flew, taking in my scent. He knew exactly where he was going. As we burst through the doors, there was Gumball, sitting at a desk with his legs crossed and his focus out the window. When he saw us—or heard us, I guess—burst into the room, he stood up immediately, a smile lengthening across his entire face.

"Oh, sweet glob! You're back!" Gumball nearly fell over himself as he stumbled to meet us were Marshall had landed.

Marshall set us down and stepped back from me, not saying a word. Before I could ask what was wrong, I was picked up and held tightly against Gumball, who had tears streaming from his face. "Oh glob, I missed you so much! As each day passed I was _sure_ The Seeress killed you!" He set me down and looked hard at my face, searching it, analyzing it. "Where did you go? We couldn't find you anywhere! I even sent out half the guard to look for you!"

I shut him up with a long awaited and much needed kiss. We embraced each other, kissing, lips and tongues and teeth dancing in a hungry, graceful way. The sweet taste of his mouth made me a bit dizzy. I broke the kiss and stepped away from him, smiling as comfortingly as I could. "I can't really _tell_ you where I've been, but I'm going to show you. Tomorrow. First thing in the morning. You guys are going to _love _it."

I turned to Marshall, ready to greet him properly and with a longing kiss I'd been saving just for him. But, when I looked at him, he just stood in his place, his head down, his fists clenched, and his face mostly hidden by his hair. All I could see was the tight-lipped scowl his mouth made.

"Marshall…" I whispered, carefully walking over there. Trembles were rolling off of his body as he shook, his fists getting tighter with each step I took. "Marshall, I—"

"You _what_, Fi?"

The venom in his tone made me stop dead in my tracks. I wasn't sure if I should feel hurt, or feel offended, or just feel ashamed. "Marshall, please…"

"Do you have ANY idea how much I worried about you? Do you? Do you understand that, while you were off playing sudden death with the mountain witch, you left me here, writhing in grief? You could have told me, Fionna! You could have at least said good bye! What if you didn't make it? What if she had killed you? What if—"

I jumped on him, engulfing him in my embrace, holding his shaking body as close to me as I could. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't listen. All of those regrets I was holding back for the last two weeks had come crashing into my face, leaving me raw and open. "But she didn't, Marshall. She helped me. She helped us. And I'm so, so sorry for leaving you behind. But I had to. Please understand that I had to do it."

We stood there for a few moments, wrapped up in this tidal wave of grief and regret. His body didn't relax under my grasp for some time, but eventually, even he had to break. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, crushing me to him, weeping quietly into my bunny hat. "I missed you so much, Fi. I didn't know what to think…"

"I missed you and Gumball, too. I thought about you guys every day, and whenever I wasn't thinking about you, I was thinking about how to save you," I sobbed into his shirt, not able to hold in my strength any more. This was the moment of weakness I had been waiting for.

Gumball came up behind me and joined in our embrace, holding us both tightly. "Fionna, you should have heard the rant he gave me when he found out I let you go. It was horrendous! To think such language even exists!"

With that small little statement, it was like all of our tension melted away. We all laughed together, a happy sound that I had severely missed. I stood up on my toes to kiss Marshall tenderly on the lips, letting my joy and excitement in seeing him flow through my lips to his. Gumball came around behind me, planting small kisses on my neck, right below where my bunny hat ended.

Marshall seemed to pick up on what Gumball was doing, and trailed his hands up and along my arms and shoulders to meet under my chin, where my hat Velcroed together. He pulled the pieces away from each other, sliding his hand up and along my hair on the side that Gumball was kissing, pulling my hair away from him as Gumball continued to plant small, tender kisses on my neck, mine and Marshall's lips still pressed together.

I knew what they were doing, and I wanted it so badly that my knees shook, but I had to stop them. "Wow, I missed you guys, too! But I just got back! Don't you want to ask me questions or something?"

Simultaneously, and without skipping a beat, they both answered with a hardy "No."

With a strong and unyielding statement like that, I couldn't refuse them. Marshall literally tore off my shirt, the one that I'd been wearing in between borrowing outfits from Marcy and Bubblegum the last two weeks. Gumball yanked off my skirt, breaking the zipper and buttons, and tossing it to the floor. Following the same routine, together the pulled off my bra, destroying the hooks, and threw it to the ground, as if it were the reason for all their problems. Gumball came out from behind me and took a few steps back with Marshall, both of them with fingers and thumbs on their chins, both looking me up and down and observing me as I blushed and tried to cover myself. Despite being naked in front of them hundreds of times before, standing in a sitting room in nothing but panties and stockings was still a little unnerving.

"I told you she had a beauty mark under her left breast," Gumball remarked casually to Marshall, as if I was some sort of art piece.

"You were right, but you forgot about the freckle on her hip," Marshall commented.

"Wait, were you guys fighting over what my _body_ looked like while I was gone?" I asked, almost stunned.

"What were we supposed to do? We missed our adventuress," Marshall answered nonchalantly.

In unison they moved towards me, Gumball on my right and Marshall on my left. "Now that we have our queen back, we must use our time together to the maximum. I hope you're prepared, Lady Fionna," Gumball announced, swooping me up into his arms.

I didn't even have a moment to think of a witty comeback. Without warning, Marshall was there, his lips wrapped gingerly around one nipple, his fingers pinching the other. I choked out a moan and writhed a little in Gumball's arms. I didn't realize that I missed their touch so much. Gumball crashed his lips to mine with such a force-filled hunger that my head swirled. He plunged his tongue in between my lips, tasting me feeling me as if it was our first time. I felt his fingers tighten around my body, pulling me closer to him. Marshall let go of my nipple with his fingers and slid his hand down my chest, down my stomach, past my hips, and along my thighs. He was teasing me!

Marshall broke away from my other nipple and planted a kiss on Gumball's cheek, distracting him from our kiss. "Now now, Bubba, remember what we talked about."

Gumball's eyes lit up and he smiled mischievously. "That's right! I almost forgot. How silly of me." With that, he set me down, leaving me feel dazed and more than a little confused.

I looked at them both with skepticism and wonderment. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Oh, nothing," Marshall answered, turning his gaze from me and smiling playfully at Gumball. "We just thought that, since you felt the need to torture our poor souls the way you did, we felt we should torture you back."

My face went hot and my whole body tensed. Torture me back? How? "Wh—what do you mean?" I asked sheepishly.

"This." Gumball said, coming up behind me and grasping my breast in one hand and sliding his other hand inside my panties and to my nether regions, stroking my lips gently, but never going inside, never actually touching those extremely sensitive parts. Marshall came up in front of me and added his hand to Gumballs, stroking those same areas, playing with my want and need. I whimpered a little, bucking my hips between them, almost begging with my body that they touch me in the right places.

"You—ngh—you guys—ah!—you guys are—mm—evil!" I choked out between gasps and moans. They just chuckled at me, each giving me a tantalizing kiss on my neck and collarbone, and stepped away.

"Did you hear that, Marshall? She thinks we're evil!" Gumball cried in mock horror.

"She hasn't seen evil yet…" Marshall purred seductively, taking a step closer to Gumball, his bright red eyes focused on me. As they came closer, Gumball began to unbutton his shirt and slide it lazily off his shoulders while Marshall threw his t-shirt off entirely, tossing it in my direction. What were they doing?

Marshall stood directly in front of Gumball, his devilish grin plastering his face as his gaze locked on mine. Then, he turned to Gumball, grabbed a fist full of his hair, and forced him into a passionate, needy kiss. Marshall plunged his other hand into Gumballs pants, forcing a pleasant gasp from the man, and began to move his arm up and down in a sensual, fast-paced motion. Gumballs face went red and his eyes became lidded, but he forced himself back into the kiss, focusing his fingers on the buttons of his pants. Marshall picked up speed, and Gumball couldn't keep his lips locked anymore. He broke away and groaned into Marshall's collar, hunching his back as he enjoyed the feel of Marshall stroking him that way.

I felt my knees almost disappear as my breathing grew heavy. The area between my thighs went unbearably hot, and my juices started soaking my panties completely. They were right, this _was_ torture.

Gumball dropped to his knees, his face still flushed and his eyes still lidded. He yanked Marshall's jeans down and pulled out his member, stroking him with the same force that Marshall had used. Without skipping a beat, he wrapped his warm, pink lips around Marshalls manhood, sucking him and licking him up and down, moving to a rhythm that matched the ones his hands were using. Marshall threw his head back in pleasure, smiling to the ceiling with his eyes closed. He let out small moans and gasps with each suck Gumball gave him. Marshall even grabbed the back of Gumball's head, pumping his hips and forcing himself into Gumball's mouth.

The sight of it all… it was just… it was too much. I wanted that. I wanted to be in that, not standing here like a bubbling idiot, watching them in their enchanting seduction. They knew that, too. They knew how badly I wanted them. They were teasing me.

Marshall rolled his head slightly to open one red eye so he could peer at me, his smile now looking mischievous and taunting. I noticed Gumball peeking at me, too, between sucks and licks.

"Why, Fionna, you're all red! Are we making you… uncomfortable?" Marshall purred again, making my whole body tremble. "He's very good with his mouth, Fionna. Very… good…"

I snapped. I wasn't sure if my mind went first, or if it was my body, but I sprinted at them, literally sprinted. I didn't even think my legs could move like that. Gumball pulled away just in time for me to crash into him without hurting anyone. I straddled him forcefully, making sure he couldn't escape or try to weasel his way out. I pushed him onto the rug, making him lay under me as I pulled off my panties and his pants as far down as I could take them in our position. I grabbed his manhood, gave him one big kiss on the lips, and forced him into me. We both let out exhilarating gasps as he entered me, but before he got his bearings, I began to pump my hips back and forth, riding him and rocking my body on top of him, making him moan in pleasure. I couldn't help but moan with him, the feeling of him inside me, the total control I had over him, the way his face looked as he succumbed to my body… it was all so enticing. I moved faster, sliding myself up and down his shaft as I continued rocking. He grabbed onto my hips hard, but let me do all the moving.

Just then, Marshall pressed himself against my back. I could feel that now he was completely naked, his member cradling itself between my cheeks. He slowly pushed me down on top of Gumball, trapping me between their bodies. Marshall held himself up on his hands as he moved his hips back and forth, rubbing himself against me playfully. Gumball moved his hands from my hips and slid them up to my cheeks, slightly pulling at them.

Wait…

Before I could say anything, I felt Marshall adjust himself, his manhood now pushing itself into my other, tight hole. I screamed out in pain, totally tensing up every part of my body and digging my nails into Gumball's shoulders. The pain was intense, but Marshall took it slow, penetrating me in small, tender movements. I couldn't say I didn't enjoy it. It hurt like a mother, but slowly I began to relax, and as Marshall and Gumball both began to pump into me gently after a few minutes, the pain turned to pleasure, and the pleasure turned to ecstasy. Marshall grunted with effort as his speed picked up, and Gumball wrapped his arms around my lower back to push me deeper onto him. Faster they went, penetrating me, pushing into me, their rhythm in complete synchronization as I screamed out my pleasure into the vast room. The pace they kept was growing so fast and so hard that it was too much for me to keep up with. The intense sensations they were giving me were overwhelming. I felt myself get hot as my voice rasped into Gumball's shoulder and neck. I tried to relax, to let them build up before I burst, but I had no choice in the matter. The force of both of them inside me at once sent me over the edge, my body overflowing with hot, liquidy ecstasy. I felt my body buck and writhe between them, but I didn't have any control over myself. It was so much! So much pleasure! I felt like I was drowning in it.

It was like my orgasm didn't even phase them. It just inspired them to keep thrusting into me, both of them now going at their own pace with my limp, twitching body. Gumball dug his fingers into my cheeks, pulling me down hard onto him. Once, twice, three times he slammed into me, and just like that, he spilled himself inside of me, letting out a long, labored moan as he did. I could feel his heart beat wildly in his chest as our sweat mingled between us. He let go of me and fell limp on the floor, totally spent.

Marshall, however, wasn't done. He adjusted his position again and wrapped one arm around me, using the other one to pull us up from the floor and sit us against one of the couches. He sat with his back on to the couch with me in his lap, his member deep inside of me. I was still reeling from the orgasm earlier, so when he sunk his teeth deep into my throat, the pain shocked me to full awareness, and the added sensations of him continuing to thrust into my ass from under me brought me right back into the action. He kept one arm around my stomach, but used the other hand to plunge his fingers into my slit, forcing me to writhe into his chest, panting and moaning his name. Gumball crawled up to us, his face smiling in its hazy, rosy cheeked way. He began planting kisses on my body, starting at my cheek and making his way down my neck and past my collar bone, laying a kiss on each nipple, before lining a trail down my chest and stomach to the space between my thighs, where Marshall's fingers were dancing their fiery dance inside of me as he pumped himself into my other hole. Marshall moved his hand away and laid it on Gumball's head, forcing his lips to collide with my wet and abused ones. The pleasure of it all made me scream, and Gumball plunged his tongue deep inside of me, working those spots that just made me boil over.

Marshall thrust harder and faster into me, making my voice go out with all my screams. He held onto me tight as his rhythm changed. Gumball kept sucking on me and twirling my clit with his tongue, building me up even more than last time. Marshall pulled his teeth out of my neck and whispered in my ear, "Come with me…"

I laid my head back on his shoulder and did my best to nod in agreement, but I wasn't going to be able to hold back for long. His pace quickened and his grasp around me tightened, and I could feel his member grow even hotter and bigger inside of me. With one last thrust of his hips, I felt him spill himself deep inside of me, and that coupled with Gumball's mouth on my slit, I let it all go. I screamed and came a second time, bucking against the two of them, my body tensing and relaxing as wave after wave of ecstasy rushed through me. I felt myself go dizzy as my labored breathing mingled with theirs.

Marshall slumped against the couch, and I fell off of his lap and laid on the soft fuzz of the rug. Together the three of us laid there, trying to catch our breaths, panting and smiling and lazing in the haze of our love-making.

I chuckled to myself, a smile plastered on my hot and sweaty face. "I guess I'm more evil than you two…" I panted out, keeping my eyes closed as the last of the waves swept through me.

"No way, Fi… we got you…" Marshall breathed out, his hand resting on his chest.

"We totally won, Fionna…" Gumball sighed, the only one not totally immersed in trying to breathe right. He crawled over to me and held a random shirt he found against my neck. "Marshall's bite can be brutal. Keep this here for a little bit."

"Thanks, Gumball," I sighed, smiling up at him.

"I love you, Fionna the Human," he said, smiling back.

"I love you, Prince Gumball," I replied.

"And I love the junk out of both of you, so I win." Marshall raised his voice to seem bigger than us as he spoke, and we all couldn't help but laugh.

Man, I'm going to regret this in the morning. I could already feel the swelling around my body. But glob, that was worth it.


	14. Chapter 14: Sacrifice

The three of us managed to gather ourselves from the floor and make it to what Gumball described as the "bathing suite". I guess while I was gone he had a whole new room dedicated to shower heads and good smelling soaps added to the palace. Why? Because a regular massive shower wasn't enough for the three of us. Apparently, we needed a whole room.

I can't say we didn't use it to its full potential, though. As if once wasn't enough to satisfy us, we went at it again in the bathing suite. Turns out, a whole room of hot water was way better than a measly royal tub.

We cleaned ourselves up, dried ourselves off, and just slinked to the nearest bedroom in our towels. Marshall had to carry me some of the way. I may have been the bestest hero in all of Aaa, but a girl can only take so much action. As we laid together, completely exhausted, in the beautiful forest green sheets, the questions I had been expecting earlier started to come out.

"So, where _have_ you been all this time, Fi?" Marshall asked, one arm under his head and the other cradling me to his chest.

"I'm rather curious, myself, Fionna. No one could find you anywhere. I even sent soldiers to The Seeress's dwelling and couldn't find a hint of you." Gumball was spooning me from behind, using my still-damp hair as a pillow. We'd given up on the thought of clothes, and Gumball seemed to be the only one who managed to keep his towel on all the way to the bed. It draped over our hips, keeping our bodies cool.

"It's a long, _long_ story, guys," I half-whined, totally not in the mood to recant my tales.

"We've got some time," Marshall whispered, a smirk curling on his face.

"_You_ guys might, but _I _just happened to have a very long day. Not to mention these two psycho sex-crazed lunatics totally took it out of me. I'm tired." My eyes were already closing, my mind syncing itself to the calm beat of Marshall's heart.

The both of them chuckled at me, each of them holding me closer in their own way. "Alright, fine, but you're _going_ to explain yourself in the morning. You took two whole weeks from us! It's the least you can do." Marshall's voice was fading with each word, and before I knew it, I had fallen fast asleep. It was the best sleep I'd had in weeks.

* * *

I woke up with a jolt to the sound of my messaging crystal going off, or a sound just like it. I couldn't tell if it was morning or not, due to the heavy curtains that Gumball was starting to implement. Marshall was still there, but with his crazy mood swings, I couldn't tell if it was because he _wanted_ to be there, or if it was just really, really early in the morning.

_"Hey, girl, I know you're probably fast asleep by now, but I thought you should know that your Ice King guy woke up. He started babblin' about some relics or somethin'. We're all going to be there in the morning, so here's your heads up! ~~Cake"_

Oh. Well, that was nice to know. I looked at the clock and it read 8:19am. Wait… what? I looked at the message again, and the send time was at 2:12am. Did I… did I fall asleep again? I pushed the confusing thought out of my head and rolled out of bed. Somehow we had managed to get me on the edge of the bed, with Gumball and Marshall tangled up in a mess of limbs and sheets in the middle. Maybe it was just something they started doing when I wasn't around…

I opened the curtains slightly, not wanting the sunlight to penetrate the room too much. To my extreme surprise, there wasn't any sunlight at all. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have even known there was sun to begin with, had it not been reflected off of the blizzard of snow flakes swirling around the castle. The crazy howling and whining of the wind explained the messaging crystal sound I'd woken up to, as well. But… that's so strange! The weather looked fine before…

Oh snap!

I ran over to the bed and shook Marshall and Gumball awake, panic written all over my face. "Guys? Guys! Get up! I think the Ice Queen's here!"

It took a moment for my words to sink in, but instantly they both hopped out of bed, Gumball running to the window and Marshall throwing on his clothes. I joined Marshall and put on some clothes from the dresser. It was moments like these that I was so grateful to have left clothes at both of their houses. Gumball followed suit not too long after, throwing on his royal attire.

"What is she _doing_ here?" Marshall hissed, confusion and anger littering his face.

"I don't know, but it can't be good. Come on! We need to get downstairs! Cake said—" I was interrupted by the doors flying open, and, as luck would have it, Cake and the rest of them flooded in.

"Girl, we got problems! Ice Witch is here! She's outside, demanding to see you!" Cake shouted as she made her way to me. There was a slight hesitation in the room as half of our group came face to face with their doppelgangers.

"Wh—who is _that_?" Marshall asked, shock saturating his voice. He and Marceline eyed each other suspiciously, looking each other over, no doubt wondering how two people could look so much alike.

"So you must be Prince Gumball. I've been expecting to meet you soon, though I had hoped under different circumstances. I'm Princess Bubblegum of Ooo. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance." Bubblegum gracefully and swiftly glided over to Gumball, her hand out, waiting for him to take it. Gumball, on the other hand, was far too shocked to understand. "I… see… Fionna hasn't told you about us, yet." Bubblegum dropped her hand and turned to me, an accusing look in her eye.

I chuckled nervously and shrugged, "Surprise, everyone!"

"Oh, sweet babies we do NOT have time for this right now! Marshall, meet Marceline. She's from Ooo, our exact and opposite universe. PG, meet PB. Same goes for her. Now can we _please_ get going? We got a crazy woman at the door!" Cake was not in the least bit patient about this. But, she had a point. This was no time for introductions.

"Yeah, Cake is right. Let's go kick some Ice Queen butt!" Finn shouted from the door, all pumped up and ready for a fight. I didn't notice right away, but he was holding the Ice King up on his shoulder. For whatever insane reason, the Ice King was wearing his crown again, and the agony he was in was more than apparent. The poor man was suffering.

"Hold on a second, it's not that simple. She's bound by a contract, so she can't come after us just yet. Let's see what she wants," I reasoned, already on my way towards the door.

Everyone silently agreed and followed after me, Finn already wielding his sword and carrying the struggling Ice King, Jake walking with his body molded to look big and tough, Cake with her tail frizzed out, Marshall and Marceline floating on either side of me, and Gumball and Bubblegum in the back, preparing mentally for a fight.

_"Two relics there are, though kept worlds apart…"_

What? Why am I thinking this now?

The 9 of us trudged down the stairs, most likely looking like an army of super people, ready to fight a war. The candy people who were in the palace were cowering under desks and behind shelves, hiding from the windows. They were terrified.

_"Together they mesh and break bonds on the heart…"_

Stop it, Fionna! Focus! This isn't the time!

The door burst open then, a whirlwind of snow and ice and cold invading the warmth of the castle. There was a collective gasp from the citizens inside, but those of us who were prepared to fight buckled down into defensive positions. The Ice Queen glided in, her composure looking weak, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

She was in pain.

"What do you want, Ice Queen? You have no business here!" I screamed at her, beyond angry and more than a little flustered.

"I want what's _mine_, tomboy!" she growled back, her fists clenched tight as her breathing began to hasten.

_"One she has seen, the other on a king…"_

Ice King fell to his knees behind me, gripping his head and crying out in pain. The Ice Queen bit her lip hard and scowled at us, tears welling in her eyes.

"He's _not_ your property, Ice Queen! He's a living being, and he has his own feelings! Why can't you just leave us alone?" I yelled.

It was no use. Before my words could reach her, she fell to her knees, too, and started pulling on her hair.

"What's going on? What's happening to her?" Marshall cried, worry suddenly filling his face.

"Guys! Something's wrong! Ice King is in shock! The crown's hurting him even worse now!" Marceline was cradling him again, tears spilling down her face.

_"A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free…"_

Wait a minute… Is… Is _that_ what she…

Everything was flooding my mind at once. The cold air rushing around me, the sounds of the screaming winds and the agonizing howls of the Ice King and Ice Queen, the sight of Marshall and Marcy crying over the ghosts of their past, the glint of the relics that took them…

That's it.

That's it!

I sprinted to the Ice King, knocking everyone out of the way, except for Gumball. As I passed him, I smiled warmly, calmly, hoping that by some cosmic chance, he saw me look at him.

_"Two relics there are, though kept worlds apart. Together they mesh and break bonds on the heart…"_

I grabbed the crown from Ice King's head, and as my hand made contact with it, a surge of painful, icy electricity shot through me. I cried out, but cradled it against me nonetheless, and darted to Ice Queen.

_"One she has seen, the other on a king…"_

I felt Marshall's eyes on me as I barreled towards them. I knew what he was thinking, but he had no idea. He had no idea what I was going to do. I stopped short right next to them and swiped the tiara off of Ice Queen's head. Yet another surge of pain rocked through me, my body feeling like it wanted to rip itself apart and turn into ice. I stifled my cries as much as I could, and glanced up at Marshall, a smile and eyes full of tears waiting there for him.

_"A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free…"_

Once more I sprinted towards the middle of the entrance room, right in between everyone. Ice King stopped writhing in pain. Ice Queen panted and calmed her rapid tears by the door. Everyone—Finn, Jake, Marceline, Bubblegum, Cake, Marshall, Gumball—they all watched me carefully, questioningly.

I let out a sob as the tears flowed like rivers down my face.

_A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free…_

"Marshall Lee! Prince Gumball! Cake! Finn! Marceline! Bubblegum! Jake! Ice King! Even you, Ice Queen! I love you! I love you all!" I screamed it as loud as I could, the deafening sounds of my heart racing and the wind howling around me, trying to cancel me out.

I raised the two relics above my head, took one last, longing gaze at Marshall, then at Gumball. I dropped my head, closed my eyes shut hard, and whispered, "I love you…"

_"Two relics there are, though kept worlds apart. Together they mesh and break bonds on the heart. One she has seen, the other on a king. A sacrifice is made to set the lovers free."_

I smashed the crown and tiara together as hard as I could. For a split second, only the sounds of the jewels shattering and the gold bending could be heard. Then, it started.

The sound of the ice swirling around me, molding itself to me, encasing me, overcoming me. It burst throughout the room. I dropped the relics and looked up, a smile on my face. The ice was cold and bitter, and as it rapidly grew up and around my body, I lost all feeling in my limbs bit by bit.

With one last breath, one last second of life, I opened my eyes, and watched the ice completely engulf me.

A sacrifice was made… and I set my lovers free…


	15. Chapter 15: Ethereal

"So she has returned, the ice having burned. A lesson was taught, a lesson was learned."

That _voice_… I know that voice… But where… where am I?

"What… what lesson?" I groaned. I felt like I was in pain, but why? Didn't I… didn't I just…

"Open her eyes. Her body has died. Still she return from her grave of pure ice."

"My—my body has died?" I felt light. I felt… untouchable. Yet I felt… heavy. I felt sad. And at the same time I felt so much relief that breathing was too much. Gently, slowly, I opened my eyes.

"Come, take a look at the lives you have shook. Two relics destroyed, the relics you took."

It was the little girl… The Seeress… but why… why was I so far above her?

"Am I… am I _floating_?"

"She takes a different form, the other tried and worn. Through spirit and sacrifice she has been reborn."

_Reborn_. That was such a strange word.

"So I'm, like, a ghost now?"

The Seeress turned to me, her uncovered eyes looking straight at me. Where did her bandages go?

"There are ghosts and there is ether, but she has proved to be neither. She simply exists between what's there and what's here." Her stone solid face never moved an inch, never showed the slightest bit of emotion.

"If I'm not a ghost, but I'm dead… then…"

"She exists for a reason, her blood bearing treason. She will return at the change of the fourth season." The Seeress turned away again, focusing her blind gaze toward a crystal with an image playing on it.

I didn't notice before, but I had somehow made it to some underground cavern, filled to the brim with crystals. And why… why was she here? Better yet, why was _I_ here? I decided not to think too hard on it. Making sense of her riddles was brain-numbing enough. I didn't need to destroy myself questioning things like my existence. Well, destroy myself _more_, I guess.

I, uh, _floated_ over to her, curious as to what she was watching. The feeling of being weightless, mass-less… it was just so surreal. Is this how Marshall felt? No, he had to feel his own weight. He could fly, but that didn't mean that gravity didn't affect him. I literally felt like I was outside the laws of physics.

On the crystal I saw a very familiar scene. I couldn't put my finger on it right away, but as I inched closer and closer, I could see what it was.

She was watching my death. There I stood, in the center of the entrance hall, tears streaking and staining my cheeks as I held the two relics above me. From this point of view, you could hardly see my lips moving as I whispered my last words.

I dropped to my knees, or tried to. I laid my hands longingly on the crystal, waiting for the tears to start spilling again. They didn't. I didn't have a body. Nothing worked the way it should have, and it was frightening.

The bang that surrounded me as everything came together was deafening. It was so much louder than I thought it was. A burst of energy tore through the palace, sweeping everyone back a few inches. I watched as the ice engulfed me, a process that seemed much faster than it was when I was in it. But then, as I watched myself lift my head and saw the smile on my face, I suddenly felt better. I felt relief. I knew, somehow, that I had fixed everything.

Marshall was the first one to run to the crystal-like ice I was trapped in. He raged and screamed and cried into the glass-like cold, begging me to come out. It was heart wrenching to watch, and I almost had to turn away. He threw fist after fist into it, bloodying his knuckles and bruising his hands. Gumball had to wrap himself around Marshall and pull him away, both of them falling to the ground as Gumball held Marshall in his lap. Gumball was weeping into Marshall's shirt as Marshall tried and failed to free himself. Marshall kept screaming my name, and Gumball kept chanting, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Slowly everyone made their way up to my body, their faces filled with tears or disbelief. Marcy tried breaking the ice, too, and failed. Bubblegum fell to her knees and wept as she mumbled about finding another way. Cake walked around it in total shock, not hearing or seeing anyone else as they sobbed and begged for another chance. She and Jake took turns trying to stretch themselves over it to melt it or break it or… or _something_. Even Finn tried to cut at it with his sword. He slashed at it again and again, sweat trickling and mingling with his tears. The only two people who didn't get up and try to free me were Sam and Simon.

Wait a minute.

Were they… were they who I thought they were? I looked at them closely, squinting through my should-be-wet eyes. They were! They were Sam and Simon! Sam laid unconsciously on the floor, her white hair and blue skin turning into beautiful chestnut hair and pale skin, her big blue dress suddenly too big for her. Simon sat up on the stairs, his face buried in his knees. He had the same hair color and complexion as Sam, but he was… sad. "I tried to tell them, Fionna. I'm so sorry. I tried…"

He tried? Did he know?

"Hannah Abadeer! I demand your presence!" My concentration was broken by the sudden outburst of Marshall, his voice ragged and broken from the sobbing. I watched carefully, wondering where she would appear from.

Out from the shadows she treaded through the snow and ice, until she reached the only part of the room that wasn't covered in cold. As always, her pale blue face and demanding red eyes made an expression of utter uninterest. "What is it, my son?"

"You _failed!_ You failed your contract! You were supposed to protect her and you failed!" Marshall was screaming at her, his voice rasping and breaking, unable to handle all of the emotion. Gumball let him go and he shot up to his feet, staggering a little bit.

"I realize that, Marshall. What would you have me do?" Hannah asked, crossing her arms as if she were dealing with some snot-nosed brat.

"Bring her back… please! Please mom, bring her back!" Marshall looked so raw, so open. I felt a tenderness where my heart should have been, an aching for him and the others. What have I done?

"I can't. This is old world magic. The ice will stay frozen and in-tact for 100 years, and when it melts, you will find that she has died, long ago. I'm sorry, Marshall, but she's gone." With little emotion or inflection in her voice, she announced to the whole palace that I had died. The look on Marshall's face… the look on Gumball's face… it was like… it was like something had snapped.

Marshall dropped his head and clenched his fists, hiding his face behind his hair like he did when he was so upset he was bound to blow. "We made a contract. You were supposed to protect her. You were supposed to keep her alive. That was the deal!"

"You and Gumball are officially released from your contracts. The Ice Queen no longer exists. Instead, there lays Sam Petrikov. I have no business with her. And as for your contracts, Marshall… well, my side of the bargain has been broken. I was bound by our contracts to protect Fionna the Human, and in my failure, our contracts are voided." She stared him down, a little cautious and a little ashamed. "You should be happy, boy. That wretched creature gave her life for your freedom."

I watched as Marshall's shoulders began to rise and fall rapidly, his breath coming quicker as the rage built up. "How _dare_ you. How DARE YOU!" Just as he pounced on her, hands turned into claws and teeth bared, she disappeared into the shadows once more. He fell face first into the snow, grasping at it tightly as his sobs began to overwhelm him again.

Gumball crawled over to him, sitting on his knees and laying a comforting hand on Marshall's back. "Marshall…"

He didn't answer. No one spoke. Everyone just sort of stood there in shock, not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say.

_No, I couldn't have affected them THIS badly! I saved them! I freed them! Why? Why are they so upset?_

"A sacrifice may seem nice, but martyrs should always try to think twice. There's she and they, both feel the same, though she leaves their hearts embittered, astray." The Seeress interrupted my thoughts, answering my questions.

"They don't understand. They don't know what I've done."

I watched the crystal again, and this time, I kept my eyes on it. Hours had passed as I watched. Sam had finally regained consciousness, and though she remembered most of what she'd done, she still couldn't remember the last thousand years. Simon and her spoke for a while in the back, trying to recollect their memories.

Marcy, Finn and Bubblegum all stood huddled together, holding each other for a long time. As the hours passed and they took turns consoling Cake, Marshall, and Gumball, eventually they started consoling each other as well.

Lord M came to take care of Cake, who was still so shocked that she hadn't really blinked, let alone shed any tears. Marceline took some time to talk to Simon, to hug him tightly and thank him for everything he did for her. She was too sad to say much else, and eventually wandered back to Bubblegum and Finn.

Marshall and Gumball held each other, sometimes sobbing, sometimes thanking each other, and sometimes just sitting there, silent.

Eventually, everyone went their separate ways. Gumball offered rooms to everyone in the palace until they could find a way to get them home. They all moved in a daze, like being in a trance. Silently they trudged back up the stairs, Peppermint Maid leading them to separate bedrooms. I noticed that Finn, Marcy and Bubblegum opted into staying in one room. I suppose they couldn't be without each other tonight. Jake went home with Cake and Lord, him being the only one who would be able to keep up with Cake once she finally let herself feel what was happening. It was a good thing to have him there. Who knows how she would have acted if he wasn't there to match her.

Marshall and Gumball sat there in front of the ice for a long, long time, Marshall's head leaning on Gumball's shoulder. "Hey Bubba, do you think… do you think she knew this whole time? Do you think she knew she would have to do this?"

"I don't know, Marshy. I think part of her knew, way deep inside. That part of her that is nothing but pure heroism. But I don't think even _she_ was ready to say goodbye. Last time she knew she would come back. This time… this time…" Gumball trailed off, the tears starting up again. I wanted so bad to go to them, to hold them and tell them that everything is alright, that I'm fine, and I'm watching over them. I wanted to tell them that I did it so they could be happy together, so they could live the lives they wanted.

They sat there for a while as the sun went down and the moon rose up. After enough time had passed, and Peppermint Maid could no longer bear the site of her master so upset, she practically dragged the two of them up the stairs and into an empty room. They held each other there, on the bed, wrapped in each others arms, weeping and sniffling.

I felt their sorrow, and their exhaustion, and their loss and defeat. If I could, I would have been crying as much as they were. I watched them fall into a deep, restless sleep in each others arms, and realized that I would never be able to sleep between them again.


	16. Chapter 16: Hero

"Fear not, sweet child, her heart beats wild. Her situation, though dire, is actually mild. Yes, she is cursed, in ice she's immersed, but her blood comes from strength from defeating the worst." For the first time in what seemed like days, she spoke. But, like everything she said, I had very little knowledge of what she meant.

"Do you mean I'm strong because of how much I've fought?" I asked, my eyes never leaving the crystal.

"Her own strength she's gained through monsters she's maimed, but her power lies dormant in the blood she has tamed. Through flesh and through kin her powers lie within, and help her to break through the ice made of sin."

"Through kin? I don't have kin. Cake is my kin. I was abandoned. I don't even think my parents are alive, let alone around to help me out." I sunk my head to my evanescent knees, letting the sadness totally engulf me.

"Aye, she doesn't know of the power she holds, or her father who once was Aaa's hero." The Seeress stood there, gazing into the nothingness with her pure white eyes, her child-like face as serene as always.

Aaa's hero? My father? What is she talking about? "I don't know what you mean, Seeress. As far as I know, I'm Aaa's hero, and I left them all behind," I said sadly, not even bothering to hide the depression in my voice.

"For now she is gone, but she won't be for long. From one hundred to one the curse can't prolong."

_She will return at the change of the fourth season_…

"Wait, are you saying I'll come back in a year?" I turned my questioning, disbelieving gaze to the little girl, watching her carefully. "But Hannah said it lasts a hundred years! And I'm already this ghost-but-not-really thing. You don't make any sense."

"No cell nor a prison can hold her true wisdom. The power of Billy is what lies within."

The power of… Billy? Billy, the great adventurer? The hero of Aaa? "What… what does that even _mean_?!" I yelled, growing more confused by the minute.

_Awe, she doesn't know of the power she holds, or her father who once was Aaa's hero…_

My… _father_? "No… no, you can't be serious. There's no way—"

"Believe it or not, her body won't rot. Her hero's blood will release her on spot. Give her a year and her purpose is clear. Not even the ice can hold her here."

I didn't listen to her. My mind was swirling with thoughts and confusion. Billy? My father? That's… that's impossible! Billy is the greatest warrior of all time! I mean, I know I'm good at fighting stuff and all, but I don't even compare to Billy. All the people he's saved, all the monsters he's defeated, all the people he's helped… I just couldn't…

But then again, what if…

What if I was? What if I was his daughter? That would mean that Billy abandoned me… but why? Why would he leave me behind? Why would he just leave me there in the forest as a baby? I couldn't think of him like that. I couldn't wrap my head around the great Billy leaving a helpless child to die in the woods. He's not that kind of person…

"She must know she is right about that terrible blight. The hero suffered much for leaving that night. But suffer he must so that he may trust that his daughter was safe from all the unjust."

"So he… he left me… he abandoned me… to protect me?" It made no sense, but then, it made all the sense in the world.

I tried to put myself into his position. I'm a great adventurer, and fighting evil is what I do on the daily. So what would I do if I had a small child to take care of? Do I give up fighting evil and let it flourish to protect her? Or do I leave her behind and trust that someone strong and safe will take care of her, so that I could go and rid the world of badness?

My head spun again as I thought. In all honesty, I didn't know what I would do. It's easy to say I would give up everything and let evil do what it wants so I could be with my kid, but in reality, I got the feeling that it would be much too hard. Then, I thought about Marshall and Gumball. Maybe _I_ wouldn't be able to take care of my child, but _they_ would. They didn't fight evil, like I did. Gumball ran a kingdom, and Marshall… well, Marshall was just Marshall. They didn't come into any danger like I did. I could trust them to raise our children. So, in my case, where was my mother? Where was the woman who could take care of me and keep me safe while my father was out?

"A human girl was Billy's world, til' he found her dead, around a baby she curled. The Lich was the end to the life they would spend, and so the hero set out for revenge."

The _Lich_. The Lich was responsible… this whole time? He _killed_ my mother? And he killed my father! He killed my whole family!

No. No, this couldn't be happening. This was too much. She had to be lying. Billy was my father, and The Lich killed him and my mother? That was impossible! It was just too… too tragic…

"She has one year to make things clear. Until then she will stay with The Seeress here. She may watch, if she wants, over the lives she so fought, until the day comes that she breaks what she caught."

One year. She said I had one year to think things through, to watch my world go by as I stayed here, stuck in the ethereal. I had one year to decide if I believed her, and after that one year, if I returned to my frozen body and broke the ice, I would have to come to a decision.

She hasn't been wrong yet, but this… this is too much for me. What do you do when someone reveals to you that you're sort of dead, and your father was the greatest hero of all time, and your mother was a human that said hero loved, and that both of them were murdered by the greatest villain ever? It was like some epic movie BMO liked to watch, or a story from a book that Mom used to read to Cake and I at night. Never once did I think that I would have a similar fate as those people, those made-up heroes and heroines, who had tragic pasts and glorifying futures. I was just Fionna the adventurer, Fionna the human.

Fionna, the lover to Prince Gumball, the lover to Marshall Lee, the Vampire King. Fionna, sister of Cake the Cat, and the mirror image of Finn of Ooo. Fionna, with the bunny hat that reminded her of her parents. Fionna, the abandoned. But never, never once did I think that I would be Fionna, daughter of Billy, or Fionna, the tragic left-overs of the victims of The Lich.

"Seeress. You can see other dimensions, right? So you know where The Lich went, don't you?" I asked impatiently. As my thoughts swirled in my head, jumping from one idea to another, I was slowly starting to piece together a resolve.

"All worlds I see, though none concern me. I have no interest in The Lich presently." Her face was stone, but she tilted her head ever slightly towards me, as if I had somehow piqued her interest.

"But you _can_ see him, right? You know where he is," I pushed, determination saturating my voice.

"He resides in a place not easy to trace. A world gone awry since he's shown his face." For a moment her face showed an ounce of concern, sadness even.

"Is there any way I can get to him?" My voice was cold, calculated.

"Of course there are ways, though most lead astray. She must return to her body in 300 days."

Wait, 300 days? Did two months pass already?

"Here there's no time, no purpose, no rhyme. We are simply in a place meant for the sublime."

I tried to think about what she said, to decipher her ridiculous code, but I grew too frustrated too quickly, and returned to my other questions. "Okay, so I return to my body, and then what?"

She stared blankly at the nothingness for a moment, as if she was taking the time to think. I knew her better, though. This was just a rouse. She was deciding if she should help me or not. "Return to me, in not one year, but three. She must be prepared for the revenge she seeks."

I nodded to her and turned my attention back to the crystal. I was done talking. I had my plan. If Billy was more than a hero to me, then he deserved more than a burial. He deserved revenge, and I would go anywhere, do anything, to give that to him.

I let my mind wander as time passed by. I had less than a year to gather my thoughts, and almost 3 years to plan my revenge. I had saved the ones I loved. I had freed two innocent people from the evil grasp of relics. I had traveled to an opposite, parallel universe and made friends there.

I was Fionna the Human, and I would stop at nothing to make things right.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! First I'd like to say thank you for sticking with me. Those of you who are in it for the story are just... awesome. Seriously, you guys make me smile :D**

Second, I just need to say that, even though I only imagined this as a 3-part thing, my rock awesome fiance threw out some ideas that I couldn't pass up. So this is officially a 4-parter, and I'm super excited to start writing it. Big things are coming, guys! Big things!

I wanted to throw out really big huge thank-you's to the people who leave tons of reviews on my chapters. It's more than just reviews, it's like inspiration, and a drive to keep me going. I get a big smile whenever I get really nice reviews. You guys know who you are!

Alright, enough babbling from me. I need to get brain storming and start part 4! Stay in touch, everyone! I love you guys!


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